When The Blue Irises Are Born Again
by Zena HellFire
Summary: S06e22 Cas opens the Door of Purgatory to steal the souls,he is stopped by the last person he was e latter persuades him that he is making a mistake and Cas gives up his plan,but the Leviathans escape before the Door's e two angels,together with the Winchesters,must deal with a war,the creatures,and with their personal matters.Full sum inside!
1. Chapter 1

Hello, everyone!

This is my first Supernatural story and I've been in the fandom only for a few months, so I apologize from the start if the characters are not always IC. I've tried very hard to stuck to their canon selves and I really hope I've managed it.

The story starts from the last part of episode 06x22 and goes on on its own, without considering what happens in the following season. You could say it's my own version of season 7, since I hadn't seen it yet when I started writing. Some pieces of dialogue are taken from the canon season 7 and some scenes are inspired by real ones. I didn't mean to copy the show, I just thought they fitted this story as /

The whole plot revolves mostly on the characters' interactions and relationships, with a special focus on the themes of trust and faith.

I hope you'll enjoy it! Every comment or critic is really welcome! Please, let me know what you think!

**Warnings**: This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.

**Summury:** AU for s06e22. Castiel, betraying his deal with Crowley, opens the Door of Purgatory to absorb the souls and gain the power to beat Raphael, but he is stopped by the last person he was expecting, Gabriel, who persuades him to give it up. However, before Cas can close the Door, something comes out and spreads on the Earth. So, the two angels find themselves in the position to fight a war against their own siblings and to have to deal with the Leviathans, whose leader seems to have ill intentions towards mankind.

The Winchesters are reluctantly forced to help, but the collaboration isn't going to be easy. Dean and Cas can't put aside their personal conflict and the angel decides to leave to try and find his lost faith, whose lack is quickly and inevitably consuming him. The brothers are left to fix the whole mess by themselves, together with the trickster archangel who has ambiguous intentions towards Sam and who is also busy dealing with his own issues.

In his behalf, Crowley finds an odd partner-in-crime in the brilliant IT employees Charlie Bradbury, but the results are not quite the ones he was expecting.

**Pairings:** Dean x Castiel, Sam x Gabriel, some Crowley x Bobby.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

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The water dripping on the floor was the only sound breaking the silence that burdened the underground room. The walls were covered in mildew and the air was stagnant and humid. Castiel stared at the blood-dirtied jar that he was holding. It felt heavy in his hands and still a bit warm. The seal had already been drawn and was staring at him expectantly from the wall. He tightened his grip on the glass. Why was he hesitating? The expression of betrayal on Dean's face filled his mind, but he chased it away immediately. He wasn't at peace with the web of deceits he had woven, but it had to be done. That was the only way to stop the civil war that was ripping Heaven apart, the war _he_ had started. He would fix everything as soon as he had solved the conflict and restored the order in his world.

He took a deep breath. Angels shouldn't feel nervousness, but after all he had been one of the few who had doubted and he had been about to fall more than once. He still was. He closed his eyes and recalled the words of the spell. It was his only option. "Ianua magna Purgatorii, clausa est ob nos, lumine eius ab oculis, nostris retento…" he started to recite, his tone resolute once more. "Sed nunc stamus ad limen huius Ianuae Magnae et demisse, fideliter perhonorifice paramus aperire eam". The Latin words came easily to his lips, as if they were a long lost reminiscence, a memory from an ancient time that he hadn't lived but that was part of him anyway. It made sense. Purgatory was one of God's creation and angels retained a glimpse of His essence. And yet even that knowledge didn't make the whole act feel right. He swallowed his concerns and kept going. "Creaturae terrificae quarum ungulae et dentes nunquam tetigerunt carnem humanam aperit fauces eius ad mundum nostrum nunc". There he was. Once he had pronounced the last words there would be no turning back. "Ianua Magna, aperta tandem!"

The portal opened before him with an explosion of light and energy, revealing a raging black hole that radiated evilness and despair. Castiel forced himself not to take a step back. The darkness was much stronger than he had expected, but that wouldn't stop him. It couldn't. He had sacrificed so much, done things he felt so very ashamed of, just for reaching that point. He opened his arms to capture the souls that were stirring frantically under the black surface. Once he would have brought peace on both worlds everything would be forgiven.

"_Please_! Don't tell me that you really believe that crap!" a voice laughed behind his shoulder, making him start. "That's just a nice excuse you are telling yourself to feel better, because you know really well that you are about to make a huge mess!"

He spun around to face the newcomer and his blank expression faltered just for a brief moment as he recognised him. He lowered his arms. "Gabriel" he let out, sounding almost confused.

Gabriel smirked widely, amused. "Yeah! The one and only! You weren't expecting me, were you, little brother? Did you miss me?"

"Lucifer killed you" Castiel stated emotionless, ignoring the provocation hidden in the other's playful tone.

"I'm the Trickster! Or have you forgotten that?" the archangel pointed out, crossing his arms on his chest. Then he turned serious. "Nah, alright. Yeah, Lucy killed me. And it hurt pretty much. But apparently Dad wasn't done with his prodigal son."

"Are you telling me that Father brought you back?" The blue-eyed angel frowned deeply, not convinced at all. He could hear the door calling for him, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from his brother. "_Why_?"

"No idea, bro. I just woke up in the middle of nowhere and had this vision of you going crazy with delusions of grandeur and making this huge mess. And I told myself: "Gotta stop him", so here am I!"

"So He brought you back to prevent me from taking His place? He _abandoned_ us, Gabriel. Our brothers and sisters are fighting each other. Many of them died during an Apocalypse He hasn't helped to stop. And more are still dying now. Some of them by my hand. I must stop this massacre" Castiel stated, his tone hard and determined. "I looked for Him, everywhere. I prayed and prayed for His help but I got no answer. He is gone. Forever. And someone needs to take care of His responsibilities."

"Yeah, of course. Dad left, but He brought you back to life _two_ times, Castiel. He _did_ help you stop Lucy's mess" Gabriel pointed out, sounding oddly patient. "I don't like the idea of my family fighting and dying either. I may have run away, but I still care for all of you. But, trust me, playing God is not the solution. Besides, at what cost? Come on, Cas, you let down your precious Winchester boys!" He shook his head, almost in disbelief. "I remember you back then, when Dad was still with us, before Lucifer's Fall. You always hung around, asking questions, wanting to understand, so full of faith that you made us archangels ashamed because we felt like we didn't believe hard enough. What happened to you, Castiel?"

The angel lowered his eyes. "What happened to me, Gabriel? You should know." He answered harshly. "One of my brothers betrayed us all. Another left without warning soon after. Father abandoned us. I was left to watch the Earth, learning about pain, despair and hate. I started to doubt and then I rebelled. I fought my own family, I killed some of my brothers and sisters. I fell and died more than once. I lost my faith."

The archangel was quite for some moments, struck by the bitterness of those words, but he recovered quickly. "Alright. You have your good reasons to be upset. But, trust me, _this_". He pointed the portal. "isn't the solution to your problems. Look, I understand what you are going through. I really do, because that's how I felt after the whole Lucifer's business and that's why I became the Trickster. But doing this will only bring you more suffering and troubles."

"It needs to be done. It's for a greater good."

"No, Castiel. You are wrong. There may be redemption for you after, if you ask loud enough, but I don't think you'll get forgiveness for what you have done to the people who care about you." Gabriel took a step towards his brother. "I know what I'm talking about. I did a lot of awful things in the last centuries. It was much fun, I can't deny it, but now I see that I lost who I used to be and I regret almost every bit of it. I'm no longer sure that it was worth it. When I fought Lucifer to save Kali and the Winchesters I found my essence once again. For those few minutes I was no longer the pagan Trickster Loki, but I was the archangel Gabriel. And it felt great, like I _belonged_ once again. I found forgiveness because I did the right thing. Being a good guy sucks, but from time to time it can be nice. If you eat those souls, Cas, and do what I saw, you will pass the point of no return. Don't mess up more than you've already done."

Castiel shot him a brief a glance, as if he needed to make sure that he wasn't lying, and then turned away again, but this time he looked no longer hostile. His face wore a shadow of regret and shame and his eyes were darker. "And what do I do? How do I stop Raphael? I'm falling, Gabriel. I'm not powerful enough to stop this war. Some of our brothers and sisters believe in me and I can't let them down!"

"Of course. But they want you to fight, not to become a tyrant." The archangel's voice was filled with a hue of harsh mockery. "What will you do to the ones who don't follow you once you'll have turned into a bad copy of our Father? Imprison them? Kill them? I thought you wanted to stop the suffering of our kind. You would stop the war, but how many lives would you have to end? How many Rachels will you kill?"

"I…I haven't thought about that" the angel confessed, feeling his determination crumbling. His brother was right. But what other choices did he have? He looked up again, staring right into the other's eyes. "However, many lives will be ended anyway. At least I can be sure that this war will be over once I'll be done."

"No one has ever told you that power goes to your head, I guess. Look what happened to Lucy…or to _me_. You have watched mankind for so long, you should know what I'm talking about." Gabriel lifted a hand to prevent his speaker from talking back. "But let's not dwell on issues of general morality. It's tedious and you won't listen to me. Let's talk about more personal matters. What about your dear Dean? You made him almost hate you. Do you think he will ever trust you again if you get to the bottom of this? Do you really think he will be able to forgive you, bro? At least if you stop now you could always prove him that you are really sorry. But if you start playing God you'll no longer be believable. Trust me."

"Dean…He will understand" Castiel stated, but it was clear that he himself was having a hard time believing his own words. "After stopping the war I'll fix Sam's wall and Dean will trust me again. He will finally see that I'm doing everyone's good."

"In your dreams" the archangel snorted. He was losing his patience. He knew that his brother could be stubborn, but he was exaggerating now. And, besides, the more time the portal stayed opened the more likely was that something came out of it. "You wanna know what you'll do? You'll enjoy too much playing God and go around the world forcing people to worship you. You'll turn Heaven into an angel cemetery and you'll become a problem to Sam and Dean. Oh, and in the end you will explode because you can't contain all that power. Not even I could! So stop this shit. You are being too whiny for my likings. Obey your big brother and be a good kid."

"Gabriel, don't…" Castiel started to say, but he was interrupted by a sudden tremor that shook the ground.

The two celestial beings turned just in time to see the surface of the portal exploding with a terrible roar. Black trials erupted from the dark surface and rushed past them, disappearing from their view as quickly as they had appeared. A look of disbelief spread on Castiel's face as his eyes widened in horror. The jar fell from his hands and hit the floor, breaking in a thousand pieces. Gabriel cursed heavily under his breath. He knew that it would have ended that way. He shouldn't have waited so long. Maybe it would have been better if he had just knocked his brother out and closed the door. After that, they would have had all the time to talk. But he had wanted to do the things in the right way and that was the result. Being a good guy really sucked.

"Close that fucking door! _Now_, Castiel!" he shouted, exasperated, and finally he got the response he had been looking for.

The blue-eyed angel obeyed immediately, muttering the spell under his breath and extending his arms towards the black hole. The portal fought his powers hard, draining him, but suddenly Gabriel's hands were on his shoulders and he felt the archangel's Grace flooding through him, adding strength to his own. The door closed with a deafening rumble, leaving the two panting in front of a newly intact mouldy wall.

Gabriel was the first to speak. "What the heck were those things?" he exclaimed, still a little bit out of breath. "They were fucking strong!"

Castiel dropped his gaze on the ground once again. "Leviathans" he muttered quietly. His voice was emotionless, but his expression was dark and pensive.

"Oh, _shit_. More troubles for us…" the other groaned, running a hand on his face. "Wasn't a civil war in Heaven enough?"

"They are my problems. They are my _faults._" He stated, shaking his head. He stepped forward, laying a hand on the blood seal and making it disappear. "I must take care of them. You stopped me, your job is done. You can go back doing whatever you used to do now."

The archangel grabbed his arm. "Don't be an idiot, Castiel. I didn't come here to scold you and then leave you to face all this alone. I've been an awful big brother for long enough. This is my chance to redeem and to make our home less boring" he claimed with determination. "I won't throw it away! Besides, I've never liked Raphael too much. I don't want him to be our new boss."

Castiel stared at him silently for a while then his lips opened and he let out a barely audible whisper: "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah, I know that you have no reason to trust me and…" Gabriel started to say, but stopped abruptly as he realised what the other had just said. He looked at him in disbelief. "Come again?"

"Thank you, Gabriel" the angel repeated, in a louder voice. "I _do _trust you. You've just prevented me from ruining many lives and from losing myself. I owe you. And I'm happy to have you back. I missed you." He rested his hand on the top of his brother's, which was still gripping at his arm. "I am sorry. I was wrong. Forgive me, brother."

The archangel remained quiet, not really knowing how to answer to that show of absolute trust. Those blue eyes were too bright, even for him. Castiel had always been able to feel in a way that should have been impossible for angels, and yet it had always come so natural to him. He almost smiled at the thought. Dad really had to have a soft spot on his weird nerdy son. He cleared his throat, trying to recover his usual cockiness. "I'm not the one who should hear your apologies, Cas" he said, stepping away from the other. He gestured towards the corridor. "Come on, we have two boys and a demon waiting for us. And I can't wait to see the Winchesters' faces when they'll realise that I've come back from the dead!" He smirked. "They'll be _delighted_."

"I thought they couldn't stand you" the other angel pointed out, confused. "Why should they be happy to see you?"

Gabriel felt the strong urge to bang his head against the wall. He bent down and picked up the pieces of the jar, which rebuilt in his hands, and then he handed it to his brother. "I was being _sarcastic_, Cas."

"Oh."

The archangel wondered briefly if Castiel understood what sarcasm was, but he didn't dare to answer. He had already used all his patience in the previous conversation and he had no intention to deal with his brother's inability to get non-literal meanings. He preferred leaving the task to the older Winchester. They walked side by side in silence, but for once after centuries there was no tension between them.

** ж**

Crowley stared at the blood seal wearing an uncertain expression that matched Raphael's puzzled one. The incantation words had had no effect. No flash of light had lit up the room, no roar had torn the air and, especially, no door had opened in front of them. From their place on the floor Dean and Bobby exchanged confused looks. Something obviously hadn't worked, which should have been good news for them, and yet the young hunter couldn't chase away the bad feeling in his guts. Something was off, they just didn't know what yet.

"Mm-hmm…" the demon mumbled, without looking away from the wall. The seal was correct, he was sure of that, so the problem had to be elsewhere. "Maybe I said it wrong."

A flap of wings came from behind his back in that very moment and a voice followed it almost immediately. "You said it perfectly" it claimed flatly as Crowley turned around. "But what you needed was _this_."

The King of Hell eyed the jar that Castiel was holding. "Oh, I see" he commented, sounding almost impressed. He stepped towards the seal and took a bit of blood on his index finger. "And we have been working with…" He licked the red liquid away from his skin. "…Dog blood. Naturally."

The two hunters stared at the newcomer stunned, not knowing what to expect with his sudden appearance. They still couldn't grasp what dangerous game the angel was playing. It was clear that he wasn't going to let Raphael win Heaven, but there was no way he could challenge her in battle either. Dean kept his eyes on the now familiar figure, but his gaze that time wasn't returned. Castiel looked his usual self, but at the same time there was something different in his posture. He seemed more tensed, worried, and in his sky-blue eyes there was a shadow that looked awfully a lot like deep guilt.

Raphael, from her place by Crowley's side, was starting to tremble with rage. She approached her brother threateningly and glared at him. "Enough of these games, Castiel. Give us the blood." She ordered imperatively. "Your game's over."

"His jar's empty, just in case you haven't noticed" the demon politely pointed out, waving his hand in the direction of the glass can. Then he spoke to the angel. "So, Castiel, how's your ritual gone? Better than ours, I'll bet."

"It worked" Castiel offered laconically, never tearing his gaze from his sister.

"So why I don't sense an awfully great power coming from you?" Crowley asked, raising an eyebrow. Why opening the door and then not getting the souls? Wasn't that what the angel had tried to accomplish since the beginning? What had changed? It made no sense to him. He was surely missing something. "Was Purgatory too scary for you, little angel?"

"No, but common sense was very convincing!" another voice claimed and suddenly Gabriel appeared at Castiel's side. "I got there just in time to prevent my younger brother from making the biggest mistake of his sorry life!"

The King of Hell turned towards him, intrigued by the sudden twist of events, a smirk playing on his lips. It seemed that he wouldn't get the power he had been promised, but the angelic family business was proving itself to be entertaining enough to make it up for that. For those who weren't involved in it, of course.

"Gabriel!" Raphael exclaimed, caught off guard. Her eyes were wide with incredulity. "You were dead. Lucifer killed you, I saw that!"

"For the second time, yeah, Lucy killed me. But, apparently, I still had some unfinished businesses here" the other archangel answered, offering her a cocky smirk and patting Castiel's shoulder. "My little brother needed me, so I came back. It makes sense, doesn't it?"

"It doesn't actually. Never heard of an archangel that comes back to life because he has unfinished businesses" Crowley muttered under his breath, but his words didn't go unnoticed.

"Fuck off, Crowley. This is family business. No demon allowed" Gabriel told him, waving his hand quickly. "And you'd better go now that you have the chance to, because I can't guarantee that you'll remain unharmed if you stay longer."

"Since you have asked me so nicely, I'll take your advice" the demon mocked, faking a small bow towards him. "After what I've seen, I don't want to be involved with angels for a while. None of them is a straight shooter apparently. Exit stage Crowley!" And he disappeared before someone could say or do anything.

"So, Raphael, back to business" the archangel said slowly, turning towards their opponent. "What do we do now, bro? Uh, well, _sis_."

"You let that demon go and you are challenging your own brother, Gabriel?" Raphael attacked him, offended. She was wielding her sword now. "You are no better than Castiel!"

"You were the one who attacked Cas first. Just because you were the last archangel left, it didn't mean that you automatically had the right to become the new leader of Heaven" Gabriel talked back, untouched by her rage. He snapped his fingers and his blade appeared in his hand. "Besides, I've chosen a side and I don't want the Apocalypse to happen anymore. So little Cas has my favours now."

"You are in minority, Raphael" Castiel interjected, getting a hold his own weapon in turn. "You have my same alternatives now. Flee or die."

Her gaze hardened, but she lowered her blade. "It's not over, you traitors" she proclaimed firmly. "I'll have your blood on my hands soon." And she was gone in a flap of wings.

"Ah, why did you let her go?! We could have taken care of her here and now!" Gabriel complained with a snort. "She and her minions will surely come after us!"

"We were not ready to face her. I'm still weak from the ritual and you are not in your best shape either" the blue-eyed angel stated emotionlessly. "And besides…" He shot a glance at the two hunters who had watched the whole scene without moving. "…We couldn't risk having a fight here. The consequences could have been nasty."

"I see…" The archangel followed his eyes and stopped on the two humans. A new smirk opened on his face. "Ah, Dean Winchester! You were in a better shape the last time I saw you! You've had a pretty rough time, haven't you?"

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Dean groaned exasperated, finally getting himself up from the floor. "I admit that I've wished for some back-up, but I wouldn't have asked if they had told me that it would have been _you_!"

"How nasty. You wound me!" Gabriel complained, but his grin remained. "I've just saved your sorry ass once again, you should be grateful, Deano."

"Grateful my ass…" the older Winchester muttered with hostility. His eyes met Castiel's and his tone became even harsher. "I wouldn't have needed help if _someone_ hadn't had the awful idea to go and play God, breaking my brother's mental wall in the process!"

The angel lowered his gaze on the floor, looking remorseful. The archangel patted his shoulder once again and threw a nasty glare to the hunter, who stared back with the same amount of distaste. Bobby looked at the three of them and then pulled Dean's T-shirt to get some help to stand up, which the youth instantly offered.

"So, here is the famous angelic Trickster" the older man said, carefully moving the conversation on a neutral ground. "I remember you from that hunt in Springfield. And the boys told me about what you did after. A disloyal opponent."

"In person. Nice to see you again, Bobby Singer! It's true, I don't always play nice. I'm the Trickster not without a good reason" the archangel admitted with a shrug. "But I'm on your side now. Or, rather, we will be all fighting the same things from now on."

"Meaning? We are not getting involved in your fucking angelic business" Dean growled. His stare was once again on Castiel. "Not after what you have done to my brother."

"We are not asking you to fight our war, Dean" the latter spoke quietly. "I have no right to ask you anything. I will still keep my promise and fix your brother somehow, even if at the moment I don't have the power to do it." He couldn't bring himself to meet the young man's eyes. "I…When Gabriel came to me, the door of Purgatory was already opened and something was unleashed in this world. Strong, merciless creatures that will bring devastation on mankind if they are not stopped."

"Ah, great job, Castiel!" The hunter exclaimed incredulous. "Now we have more monsters to deal with! As if I didn't have enough problems. Thanks a lot, man!"

"Hey!" Gabriel warned, preventing his brother from speaking. "He couldn't know. No one could. He shouldn't have opened that portal in the first place, but he was just trying to do the right thing. For _you_ too. We are not omniscient. And we make mistakes as you humans do. So shut the fuck up and leave my brother be."

The human let out a bitter laugh. "The right thing, sure. You mean his own business! And since when you are so protective of your family?"

The archangel ignored the provocation. "Since I'm trying to make up for my past mistakes."

A heavy silence fell on the room. Bobby kept out of the discussion for everybody's sake, even if he was feeling the words twitching on his tongue, pushing to come out. By his side Dean had gone still. He couldn't help the uneasiness that Gabriel's words had left inside him. He understood too well what the other had meant. Everyone in his fucked up family had tried more than once to find a way to make up for their faults. He and Sam were still trying to put up with all they had been through and all they had done to each other. And he also understood why the archangel was acting like that towards Castiel. He would have done the same thing for Sam, even knowing that he was wrong. He would have beaten the crap out of him when they had been alone, but he would have stood up for him in front of the others. Because that was what family was for and because he himself had to make something up to his brother.

Gabriel's hand was still lying on Castiel's shoulder, protective and reassuring. The younger angel shot his brother a confused but grateful glance. He had been taken aback by that sudden change of behaviour, but he had to admit that he had missed having someone so ready to look out for him. The Winchesters had done it in many ways while they were facing the Apocalypse together, but it wasn't the same thing. He had felt close to them, but Gabriel was his real family, the one he had thought lost forever after rebelling.

"Dean! Bobby!" Sam's voice broke the silence and the sound of his hurried steps against the metal staircase echoed in the room. The younger Winchester stopped at the end of the stairs, pale and panting, his eyes locking on the archangel. "Gabriel?" he questioned carefully.

"Heya, Sammy! Oh, you look awful! Worse than Deano here!" the latter commented, studying the human. "Cas made a real mess with you. But don't worry, you'll be fine!"

"Sam!" Dean exclaimed, approaching his brother quickly and ignoring the archangel. "How are you feeling? And don't say fine because I'll send you back to dreamland!"

"I feel…Uh, as if a train had run over me?" Sam offered hesitantly. Then, seeing that the other hunter seemed satisfied with his answer, he looked around the room and asked: "What the heck happened here? Why is Gabriel there? Weren't you dead?"

"Here we go _again._" Gabriel groaned.

"We'll explain later" Castiel interrupted before another discussion started. "We need to get out of here. Raphael could decide to come back with her followers any time. It's not safe."

The three hunters stared at him sceptically. It was clear that none of them was going to trust him any time soon, but he really meant his words. Raphael hadn't been very pleased with what had happened and she would be back as soon as possible to get his and Gabriel's head.

The archangel seemed to guess his thoughts because he immediately agreed with him. "Come on, we'll let you put us in a circle of holy fire as soon as we'll be out of here. But let's get out!"

Dean and Sam exchanged glances, but the one who made the final decision was Bobby. "I hate to say this, but they have a point. I don't like the idea to take a traitor and a trickster to my house, but it's the most intelligent thing we can do right now. We can't risk facing an army of angry angels."

"Ah, alright. Let's go." Dean gave up, not even trying to hide his reluctance. "But I need to get my car back before we leave."

Castiel nodded silently, elbowing Gabriel to prevent him to make one of his awfully misplaced comments. They were walking on thin ice and they couldn't afford any other stupid mistake. They couldn't fight the Leviathans and Raphael alone. They needed allies and he had no intention to ask Crowley for help again, assuming that the demon would talk to him again after what had happened between them. Besides, he wanted badly to show Sam and especially Dean that he was really sorry. He _needed_ their forgiveness.

Gabriel punched his shoulder gently as they followed the older Winchester out of the building, Bobby and the younger behind them, as to make sure that they didn't try anything. He lowered his gaze and his brother met his eyes.

"_We'll fix everything, so stop sulking_" the archangel's voice echoed in his mind.

"_I can't see how_" he answered, his shoulders slumping."_Even if we find a way to send the Leviathans back to Purgatory, we'll have to pay a high price to stop the civil war._"

The other snorted. "_So what?_ _Do you regret not getting that power? Not becoming the new God?_"

Castiel shook his head. "_No_. _I just wish I could believe as I used to…_"


	2. Chapter 2

Hi, guys!

Here's the second chapter of the story. I will try to update once a week if I have enough time to write and review the chapters. Which means it depends on my studies.

So...This chapter is one of the M-rated one (for Sam and Gabe). I know, it's just the second one and maybe it's a little bit premature (I confess I hesitated a bit because I wasn't sure it was such a good idea), but I assure you it's not just gratuitous sexual content. It makes sense (I hope) and it will have a part in the development of the characters' relationship.

Please, comments or critics are very welcome and will make it easier for me to keep on writing! Give me your opinion!

**Warnings**: This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.

**Summury:** AU for s06e22. Castiel, betraying his deal with Crowley, opens the Door of Purgatory to absorb the souls and gain the power to beat Raphael, but he is stopped by the last person he was expecting, Gabriel, who persuades him to give it up. However, before Cas can close the Door, something comes out and spreads on the Earth. So, the two angels find themselves in the position to fight a war against their own siblings and to have to deal with the Leviathans, whose leader seems to have ill intentions towards mankind.

The Winchesters are reluctantly forced to help, but the collaboration isn't going to be easy. Dean and Cas can't put aside their personal conflict and the angel decides to leave to try and find his lost faith, whose lack is quickly and inevitably consuming him. The brothers are left to fix the whole mess by themselves, together with the trickster archangel who has ambiguous intentions towards Sam and who is also busy dealing with his own issues.

In his behalf, Crowley finds an odd partner-in-crime in the brilliant IT employees Charlie Bradbury, but the results are not quite the ones he was expecting.

**Pairings:** Dean x Castiel, Sam x Gabriel, some Crowley x Bobby.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

The living room was quiet. After explaining Sam what had happened with Crowley and Raphael, Bobby had retired in the kitchen to cook something to eat, leaving the boys alone with the angels, who in the end hadn't been confined in a circle of holy fire. Castiel stood by the window, staring at the wrecked cars in the yard without really seeing them, while Gabriel was sprawled on one of the armchairs, happily sucking a chocolate lollipop. Sam was seated on the couch, fingers pressed against his temples, trying to fight back the visions that haunted his mind, and Dean was restlessly pacing up and down. None of them was in the mood to speak, but the need to ask and explain was really strong.

In the end it was Gabriel who broke the silence. "Cas, sit down. I feel tired for you" he called, patting the armrest. "Come on, you are drained. I can see it."

Castiel shot an uneasy look at the Winchesters, but none of them raised his eyes on him, so he obeyed and sat down next to his brother. He would have preferred staying near the window so that he didn't have to see the two humans, but he was too tired to argue.

The archangel nodded, satisfied, and handed him a bar of chocolate that he had materialized from nowhere. "So, I think it's time to talk about business" he stated, sitting up a little straighter.

"Who tells you that we want to work with you?" Dean talked back, stopping his pacing abruptly.

"We can't fight the Leviathans by ourselves. And neither can you, Dean" Castiel explained quietly, turning the chocolate in his hands and showing no intention of eating it. "We need to join our forces if we want to defeat them."

"Yeah, of course" the hunter mumbled, not convinced at all. "But I don't work with people I don't trust and I don't trust you. Not anymore. What do we do about that?"

Castiel visibly winced at that, so Gabriel spoke in his place. "Well, none of us is a demon but…What about a deal?" he proposed, his eyes falling on Sam. "I can fix your brother, but I want your word that you'll help us dealing with those bastards. For the war, I swear we won't involve you unless you decide to lend us a hand."

The younger Winchester looked up at that. "You could do that?" he asked slowly, eyeing him suspiciously. "How?"

"I'm an _archangel_, even if you all tend to forget that. I still have my powers and you have seen what I can do" he answered, feeling almost offended by the lack of faith in his abilities. "The process is pretty complex, but, in short, I can pick all the pieces up and put them together with my Grace. Easy peasy."

Dean didn't miss the weird look that Castiel shot the archangel. It was obvious that he knew exactly what his older brother was talking about, and from his expression he could say that the angel wasn't completely happy with it. "And how do you plan to do that?"

A sly smirk spread on Gabriel's face. "Oh, that's something I need to discuss with Sammy" he answered cryptically, winking at the younger hunter. "Sorry, Deano!"

"Gabriel? May I speak with you for a moment?" Castiel said quickly before one of the other two could argue. He glared at them. "In private."

The archangel rolled his eyes, but looked up at him and they spent some minutes just staring at each other. It didn't take much to the Winchesters to understand that they were discussing through telepathy or whatever the angels used to communicate among them. Dean felt the strong urge to yell them to speak in a loud voice, but Sam's eyes hold him back. That could be their only chance to fix their problem before it got too bad and they couldn't lose it, even if it meant entrusting its solution in the Trickster's hands.

In the end, Castiel looked away with a frown, but nodded. "Those are our conditions. We are not asking you to trust our words. Gabriel will fix Sam, to show you that we are sincere, and then we will make the deal" he explained, eyes fixed on the floor. "Take it or leave."

"Alright. Do it and then we will take care of the Leviathans together" Sam agreed immediately, gaining a look of disbelief from his brother. "But you won't hide anything from us this time. If you lie, or omit, or whatever, we are out."

"Deal!" Gabriel sang, clapping his hands. He jumped on his feet. "Now, Sammy, we need to do this alone. So, we are going upstairs. Dean, Cas, go and have a walk. I'll be done in two hours."

"Wait! No fucking way! I'm not leaving my brother alone with _you_!" Dean protested loudly.

"Dean, please…" Sam tried to calm him down, but he received a nasty glare as an answer.

"Are you sure that your true main concern isn't that _you _don't want to be alone with _my _brother, Dean Winchester?" the archangel teased, maliciously. "You two have some unresolved issues, I've heard…"

"Gabriel…" Castiel called in a warning tone.

The two angelic beings exchanged some more silent words and then Gabriel lifted his hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine. No more games" he muttered unhappily. Then he turned towards Dean. "Listen, Winchester. I need to be alone with Sam because the process is complex, as I've already told you, and I need to be completely focused. Besides, it involves invading Sam's _intimacy _physically and especially mentally. I think that your brother would prefer to have some privacy."

The older hunter seemed to consider his words carefully, but the frown on his face stayed. "What do you want to do, Sam?" he asked after a minute of silence. He didn't like the whole thing but the archangel's serious tone had persuaded him that he wasn't going to play some trick on them. "It's about you, so the choice is yours."

"I prefer to be alone with Gabriel if it is better that way" Sam answered with only a little bit of hesitation. He shot a brief look at Gabriel, who nodded at him in approval.

"You sure, Sammy?"

"Yeah, Dean. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"It's settled then" Castiel stated emotionless, getting up from his spot on the armchair rest. "You should eat something and rest for a while, Sam. It will be tiring for you as well."

The younger hunter nodded and left the room for the kitchen, where Bobby was just about to put the food in their plates, followed closely by Dean. The latter shot the archangel another glare before turning away, as to remind him that he still didn't trust the two angels. Gabriel ignored him and sighed, letting himself fall in the armchair once again and bringing the lollipop back into his mouth. Castiel went back to the window, lost in his gloomy thoughts. The sound of the dishes and the more relaxed chatting of the three hunters filled the living room, rushing past them as if they hadn't been really there.

** ж**

Sam's sleep was anything but peaceful. His dreams were full of fire and pain, Lucifer's manic laughter echoing in the background together with his own screams. The smell of burnt flesh filled his nostrils, making him sick, and the smoky heat made his eyes burn and water. He struggled hard, but the chains that tore his limbs apart kept him in place, preventing him from escaping and drawing hot fresh blood out of him. He was aware that it was just a dream, a memory, but everything felt so real that remembering that he wasn't in a living hell anymore was almost impossible. He couldn't wake up, break the torture of his own mind and he was afraid that in the end he would go insane.

"Sam!" a voice called among the flames, so weak that he could have just imagined it. "Dammit, Sam! Wake up!"

Suddenly a soft, gentle warmth was pressed on his forehead, soothing the pain and quickly spreading to his whole body. The burning heat was replaced by a pleasant sensation of coolness and he felt the ache disappear, leaving his limbs light and relaxed. Sam jerked awake, Dean's strong hands preventing him from falling from the sofa where he had fallen asleep, Gabriel's fingers still on his forehead. Castiel was nowhere to be seen.

"Sam, are you alright?" the older brother immediately asked. "I couldn't wake you up."

"Now I am" he replied slowly, letting his brother help him in a seated position. The nightmare had left him even more drained, but the nice sensation that had woken him up still lingered, making him feel a lot better. He turned towards the archangel. "Thank you" he mumbled quietly.

The latter shrugged. "Don't mention it, Sammy-boy" he answered, withdrawing his fingers. "Come on, it's time to fix you once and for all. Bobby said that we can borrow the panic room. Not that we are expecting an attack so soon but…It's safer."

The younger Winchester nodded and Dean freed him from his grip, patting his shoulder. "Bobby has gone to take care of some business in a near town. He won't be back before tomorrow" he informed him. "I'll go and have a walk for the next two hours, but I won't be far. If this prick tries anything, you shout and I'll send him back to Death. Alright, Sam?"

"I'm sure it won't be necessary, Dean" Sam tried to reassure him, while the archangel fought down a laugh. "But thanks anyway."

"Fine. I'm leaving" his brother muttered, sounding not completely convinced. He turned around and walked out of the room.

"Castiel is in the backyard" Gabriel called after him, making him stop on the threshold. "Just in case you wanted to know…"

The young man just stared at him for a moment and then left without a word, but he was clearly heading for the back door. The archangel sighed and shook his head, while Sam shot a worried look to where his brother had been standing.

"I hope they'll be alright" he said with a frown. "Dean is still quite angry with Castiel. We all are, but he is the one who had suffered his betrayal the most. He won't forgive him so easily. And not before saying something really stupid and really painful."

"My brother can take care of himself. Even when Dean Winchester is concerned, you are never wrong if you worry about him. I'll check on him once we'll be done". Gabriel held out a hand for him. "Let's go. I need to explain you a couple of things before we start."

The hunter took it and let the archangel lift him up, then they both headed downstairs. Once in the panic room, he sat down on the edge of the small folding bed and watched the other locking the door with a snap of fingers. Then Gabriel grabbed a chair and sat down in front of him, a bit closer than what was considered appropriate.

"So, Sam" the shorter man spoke, sounding almost amused. A small grin was playing on his lips, but the look in his eyes was deadly serious. "This ritual can be done in two ways. The boring and painful one, or the pleasurable one. I want you to know that I've never told this to my previous…_patients. _I have always chosen the one that I found more appropriate for the concerned person. However, since I have a soft spot on you, so I'm letting you choose. I'm very generous, aren't I?"

"Yeah, thanks, Gabriel." Sam shifted uncomfortably on the mattress. He had a bad feeling about the whole thing. "Since I have to choose, it would be nice if you could tell me how this two methods work" he offered hesitantly. "Don't you agree?"

His uncertainty seemed to amuse the archangel even more. "Yeah, it's fair enough" he answered with a larger smirk. "So. The first method sees me invading by force your pretty brilliant mind and digging around until I find all the pieces of your wall, then putting them together. It's complicate for me and painful for you. Your mind will automatically build some defences against my presence and I'll have to crush them one by one. In the aftermath you'll feel completely drained, nauseous and you'll probably suffer from nasty migraines for a couple of days."

"I'm not really happy with this one" the youth admitted, making a face and resting his palms on his tights. "Oh, by the way. You said you have used this ritual before. Will it work for sure?"

"Yeah. I've never used it to solve a problem like yours actually, but the process is the same anyway. I swear that you'll be fine, no matter which method we use. My Grace has never failed."

"Alright. I believe you. So, what's the second way?"

Gabriel's eyes shone maliciously at that. "Well, with your consent, I'll "shower" you with my Grace, outside and inside, and then we'll let it do its work. You won't feel almost any pain. On the contrary, you'll feel greater than you can imagine. No relevant side effects, and you'll be fresh as a daisy in one day."

Sam opened his mouth to say something, but a terrible doubt crossed his mind. He stared at the archangel astonished and seeing the other's grin becoming wider and wider confirmed his suspects. "Gabriel…Please, tell me that we are not talking about sex" he managed to let out after some moments, distancing himself from his speaker.

"Oh, _indeed_ we are talking about sex, Sammy-boy" the shorter man chuckled, clearly delighted by his reaction. "You are not a shy virgin, so don't make that face. You should have heard about the ecstasy of saints, haven't you? Well, how do you think it works? You humans are too limited to experience angelic Grace in its true form. It would destroy you. So, Father has found a way to convert it in something that you can actually manage. And, among the sensations you can experience, the one that is closer, mentally and physically, to beatitude is having an orgasm. The only difference is the intensity of the feeling, which is much stronger when it's caused by the touch of Grace."

The hunter let out a groan, trying to chase away all the inappropriate images that had come to his mind. "Are you telling me that every time a saint has experienced divine ecstasy it was because he or she was having an intercourse with an angel?"

"Of course not! We are not that promiscuous. We are not demons" Gabriel stated, rolling his eyes. "In those occasions we just envelop the person in our powers. When a soul is touched by our Grace it experiences an explosion of pleasure that in a living and corporeal human is translated into an orgasm. Your case is different. I need to rebuild your mind, and to do that I need to physically lay my hands on you and push my Grace to the core of your soul. Can you see the difference?"

"I think so. Thanks for the lesson" Sam muttered, with a tone that seemed to be saying "you didn't need to be so specific". Then he moved a bit further away from the other. "But I'm still not having sex with you!"

The archangel sighed, but he shrugged. "Oh, what a pity. Fine, we'll go for the boring method then" he agreed without even trying to complain.

The young man raised an eyebrow, puzzled. Was that all? Not even a bit of insistence? There had to be a trick somewhere. He knew too well that Gabriel never gave up easily when he wanted something and he had given him the impression that he would have been more than glad to use the sex in his case. Or maybe had he misread the archangel's interest? That last consideration brought him a pang of disappointment that he tried his best to ignore. "Why aren't you trying to seduce me into sleeping with you?"

"Because this is not just about me fucking you, Sam. It's an ancient ritual and we need to get it right. I have no idea of what the consequences could be otherwise" Gabriel explained calmly. His voice was serious as it had almost never been and he meant every word. He loved playing the Trickster's role and he was an asshole by heart, but he was an angel and spreading sorrow without a real reason wasn't just his thing. Besides, he hadn't lied when he had stated to have a soft spot on the younger Winchester. His soul and mind fascinated him and he had always found him much more entertaining and interesting than most of the humans he had interacted with. In short, he liked the boy, and that was not something that happened frequently. "You must be completely willingly or it won't work. I don't wish to hurt you even more, so it makes no sense to force myself on you". He offered a small smirk and winked. "Even if I would be _infinitely _grateful if you decided that maybe letting me physically take care of you is not such a bad idea, _Sammy_."

Sam let out a small laugh. "That's the Gabriel I know! You were starting to sound like Castiel and it was a bit disquieting…" he commented in a light tone. Then he looked down at his hands, thoughtful. He wasn't very find of the idea of letting an angel having his way with him, but he wasn't eager to experience hours of intense pain followed by days of migraines and nausea either. Besides, this wasn't just a random angel, it was an _archangel _who seemed to have developed some odd kind of fondness for him. And it was _Gabriel_. Dean wouldn't have approved at all, he was sure of this. Most likely he would have to bear his constant complaining for weeks. But this choice concerned him and him only, his brother had no saying in it. It was his mind, his _soul _at stake. He was the one who would have to bear the eventual consequences of his decision. And he was tired of having to suffer to redeem from a sin he hadn't chose to commit. He hadn't asked to be given demon blood when he was six month old, he hadn't asked to be Lucifer's vessel. He shivered at the vivid memories of how hard the withdrawal he had suffered in that same room while detoxifying from the demonic blood had been. He didn't want to go through something similar again, especially if he had an alternative. What he had experience in Lucifer's cage had been enough for his whole life.

Gabriel kept quiet, giving him all the time he needed to carefully judge his options. He could have easily read the hunter's thoughts, but he had promised to his brother to play fair for once and so he restrained his curiosity and kept out of the other's mind. He focused instead on reaching Castiel's Grace, picking up strong signs of uneasiness. Whatever his sibling and Dean were discussing wasn't pleasant for sure. He wondered if he should go and check on them, but he had the feeling that the other angel wouldn't have approved. After all it was something between him and the older Winchester, no one else had the right to interfere.

"Alright. You win" Sam said in that very moment with determination, almost starting him and bringing him back in the room without warning. "Let's do it."

"Come again?" he asked, caught off guard. "You are letting me…?"

"Yeah" the human cut him off before he could end the sentence. The fact that he had chose the more unconventional way didn't mean that he was completely at ease with it. And surely he didn't need to hear what they were about to do from the other over and over again. "Are there any ritual phrases I must recite?"

Gabriel shook his head. "No useless stuff needed this time. It's more straightforward than your usual rituals". He got up from his chair and went to stand right in front of the hunter. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Sam swallowed hard. The archangel's vessels was ridiculously short compared to the powers of the being who inhabited it, but in that moment he felt like Gabriel was towering over him and imposing his presence on the entire room. Their eyes were locked. The sensation wasn't completely comfortable, but somehow it felt strangely reassuring. "Yes" he let out in a quiet whisper.

The shorter man nodded and sat down on his lap, resting his hands on his chest. The younger Winchester immediately tensed, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from the other's golden brown eyes. Gabriel leant forward, slowly closing the distance between them, his fingers gripping slightly at his shirt. Their lips touched lightly in chaste kiss that surprised Sam. He had expected the archangel to be much more rushed, but instead he was giving him the time to adapt and accept what was happening. He let his eyelids snap shut and he focused on the feeling of that mouth caressing his own, unconsciously pressing forward to kiss it back. He felt Gabriel smirk against his lips and one moment later a tongue was licking his skin, asking for entrance, while the hands on his chest started to move around, running on his sides and upper arms. He hesitated for some seconds, then surrendered to the silent request and opened his mouth, allowing the archangel to invade it to his likings.

Gabriel didn't have to be invited twice. His grip on Sam's shirt became steadier and he thrust his tongue in the hunter's mouth, forcing a surprised moan out of his throat. He felt the human's body tensing again for a moment, but then the young man's hands found his hips, bringing their bodies closer, so that they were almost flushed against each other, and he let him decide the rhythm of the kiss. He couldn't have asked for a better reaction. He slowed his movements down after the initial rush and gently urged Sam to kiss him back again. The latter willingly complied, their tongues touching and sucking each other eagerly. The archangel felt his power starting to flow naturally from him to the human, who let out another deeper moan in response to the sudden wave of pleasure.

"Oh _fuck_" Sam groaned, a little out of breath, as his mouth was released to allow him to breathe again. "I'm starting to understand much better your little speech about Grace and ecstasy."

Gabriel chuckled in approval. "And that was just a kiss, my dear Sammy-boy. There's still so much waiting for you!" One of his hands slowly travelled down, reaching for the front of the hunter's jeans and making him gasp. "And I thought I was the eager one" he teased, but there was no malice in his tone.

"Shut up, you Trickster" the younger Winchester talked back, but he didn't move away from the other's touch and bent his neck to kiss him again.

As their mouths slid on each other, almost as if one was trying to devour the other every time they met, Gabriel's hands started to travel once again along Sam's upper body, literally deleting the young man's clothes and leaving only hot bare skin after their passage. If he had been conscious enough to understand what was happening, the hunter would have worried about the fact that his clothes were quickly disappearing, but in that moment he was too distracted by the archangel's tongue sucking the breath out of him and by the feeling of his palms on his sensitive flesh. Each touch brought an unknown, more than pleasurable sensation inside him, which seemed to sink deeper and deeper each time, methodically erasing the scars of terror and sorrow that his memories and nightmares had left on his soul.

He felt Gabriel pushing him to make him lie on his back on the bed. He gripped at his shoulder and brought him down with him, realising that the shorter man had got ridden of his own jacket and shirt in turn. The feeling of their bare chests pressed together was amazing and Sam couldn't help moaning a stream of curses as the angelic Grace soaked his skin together with the archangel's body heat. The latter chuckled from above him and sat up right on his crotch, tilting his head and offering him a smirk that boded nothing well.

"Gabriel…" he managed to say while catching his breath, but he only obtained to amuse the archangel even more.

Gabriel winked at him, sticking his tongue out, and snapped his fingers. The hunter let out a loud gasp as the last layers of clothes that still covered him disappeared, leaving his skin to make direct contact with the sheets, that were strangely warm, and especially with the rough material of the archangel's jeans. The other seemed to have enjoyed the noise he had made because he pushed his hips forward, rubbing shamelessly against Sam's most sensitive parts and forcing other strangled moans from his lips.

"Son…of ah…_bitch_!" the young man hissed, biting his lower lip to prevent more embarrassing noises to leave his mouth. Never in his life, apart from the time spent in Lucifer's cage, had he felt so much. It was almost unbearable, but in a positive way. Whatever the angelic powers were doing to him, they had sharpened his senses beyond the human limits and he felt overwhelmed by the various sensations that invaded his mind. It was terrifying because everything was totally out of his control, but at the same time he couldn't bring himself to fear. Oddly he had never felt so much at ease in a similar situation, completely bare, mind and body, in front of another person. Not even with Jess, when they cuddled after making love or when they shared simple gestures of daily intimacy. Gabriel was making him feel so safe and comfortable that it was disquieting.

The archangel stopped his movements, allowing him to come back to the present, and leant down, resting his elbows on his chest. "I always thought that your brother was the swearing type" he commented, amused. "But apparently it must run in the family."

"And I thought you said you needed to be completely focused for this ritual" Sam pointed out, trying to breathe deeply. "Aren't you playing a bit too much?"

"Oh, aren't you enjoying my attentions? I think you are" the shorter man teased, his fingers caressing the area around one of his nipples. He pinched it without warning, drawing another gasp from him. "Besides, Sammy, I can assure you that I'm completely focused". He lowered his head so that he was speaking right in his ear. "I'm totally focused on _you_."

The hunter felt himself blush furiously at that, something that hadn't happened to him in years, but he was too distracted by the feeling of Gabriel's hot breath on his skin to care. He was also slowly becoming aware of the maddening pressure in his most intimate parts, which were still pressed against the course fabric of the other's jeans. If that damned archangel didn't hurry up and done something, he would explode.

He lifted one hand slowly and let it wander on Gabriel's chest, feeling the strong muscles under the incredibly soft skin. He had never been with a man before and it felt different from what he was used to, but it didn't scare him off. The feeling of a warm body against his was the same, with the addiction of the effects of the Grace. His fingers reached the archangel's hair and dived into it as he brought the other's head down for another kiss, receiving a more than enthusiastic response that made him moan and gasp once again, as the angelic power sunk even deeper in his soul. He was starting to think that he had made the right choice after all.

Gabriel let his tongue wander in the hunter's mouth for a while, carefully licking any part of it he could reach, and then broke the kiss. "Alright! Time for foreplay is up!" he announced in a cheerful tone, sitting up again and moving downward, so that his thighs were now resting Sam's. "Please, try not to freak out from now on."

The younger Winchester felt the urge to cover his now exposed private parts, but forced himself not to, placing instead his hands on the archangel's still clothed legs. He wasn't a prude virgin and he had no intention of offering the bastard another reason to make fun of him. Gabriel was obviously playing with him, but he could sense no malice in his ways. It had to be his odd way to try to put him at ease before they got to the most intimate part of the ritual. He hid a small grin. As soon as he had recovered he would tease the archangel for having been so caring and nice with him. Oh, sweet revenge.

"I'll try" he answered, ignoring the provocation, and when the shorter man's serious eyes locked in his own he felt a hint of nervousness in his gut.

"Just relax and let me take care of you, Sam" Gabriel whispered and then his mouth was pressed hotly on the hollow of Sam's throat, licking and sucking the skin hungrily.

The hunter yelped, caught off guard by the sudden rush, but didn't have the time to protest because one second later the archangel was completely naked in turn and _everywhere _on his body. He felt skilled fingers brushing every spot of his chest and limbs, tangling in his hair and caressing his face, while lips tightened firstly around his nipples and then moved on his own to steal heated kisses. Gabriel's tongue seemed to want to devour his whole skin, leaving behind hot wet trails that got lower and lower. He was trembling with pleasure, unable to control the sounds and the broken words that came out of his throat as he felt something building up inside him. The feeling was similar to the one that preceded a climax, but at the same time was completely different. It was awfully physical but it transcended his flesh, ripping his whole being apart with an explosion of joy and delight.

When Gabriel took him in his mouth, hands gripping hard at his ass, the little control he still had was shattered completely and he found himself moaning and groaning louder than he had ever had. He barely noticed when lube-slicked fingers started to tease his entrance, after having danced on his sweaty body, and he felt just a little bit of discomfort when three of them slipped one by one inside him, stretching and teasing.

"_Jesus Christ_!" he swore in a high voice as the archangel hit a particular spot, gripping at the sheets so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"Not quite, Sammy" the shorter man chuckled, licking his belly button playfully. "But still God's son!"

"Fucking archangel…" the younger Winchester managed to say, but then the other pressed against his prostate harder and he lost the train of his thoughts. "_Gabriel_!"

"That's me, Sammy" Gabriel mumbled in a gentle tone, removing his fingers and forcing a disappointed groan out of the human. "I've got you, I've got you."

The hunter's hands grabbed his hips as the archangel plunged into him maddeningly slowly. Sam cried out, screaming in pleasure, and his mind went a bit blanker at each rough thrust. The angelic Grace washed over him with force, drowning him in a blinding light that crept inside the cracks of his haunted mind, healing them one by one. The pain and the despair he had experienced in Lucifer's Cage became a horrible but far memory and the fallen Morningstar's laughter was replaced by Gabriel's panting breath in his ears.

His body shuddered violently, overwhelmed by a pleasure he couldn't take and he reached his climax in an explosion of light, the archangel's name on his lips in a silent prayer. His limbs tensed in a painful spasm and he felt Gabriel coming inside him, whispering his name in response to his invocation. He could have sworn that the voice he had heard coming from the other's lips was different from his usual one. It was an unearthly symphony he couldn't describe with words, a chant made of beautiful voices and clear sounds of musical instruments. The archangel's true voice. He realized that there were tears rolling down his cheeks and for a moment he thought there were galaxies slowly dancing before his eyes.

Gabriel went still on top of him and Sam felt his limbs immediately relax as his mind stayed blank, enveloped in a pleasurable numbness and at peace with the whole creation. He smiled softly, not completely aware of where he was and of what he was doing, and maybe even of who he was, and snuck his arms around the archangel's waist, enjoying the feeling of the other's fingers drying the tears and the sweat from his skin.

They remained like that for a while, in a comfortable silence. Gabriel kept on drawing Enochian symbols on the young man's hot skin, whispering ancient words against it. The ritual did involve some formulas after all, but Sam didn't need to worry about that. He needed the human's brain to be completely focused on the healing force of his Grace. The rest was just a detail. When he was done he settled more comfortably against Sam's chest and closed his eyes, finally letting himself enjoy the aftermath in turn.

Some minutes passed slowly, lingering in the air that smelt of sex and incense, then the peaceful atmosphere was broken by the sudden sound of steps hitting the stairs. The archangel groaned, annoyed by the intrusion, but in one moment he was out of the human's embrace. He snapped his fingers, getting his body clean and his clothes back, and then carefully threw the sheets over Sam, to keep him warm and to cover his still naked body.

He sat down on the bed and, one second later, the door was flung opened and a clearly distressed Dean made his entrance in the room. The older Winchester moved his gaze from Gabriel to his still dazed brother, eyes widening in disbelief. "What the _fuck_?!" he exclaimed incredulously and the archangel did his best not to laugh in his face.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey there!

I'm back, a little late this time. Sorry about that, I've been busy...

So...Chapter 3 is basically what happens between Dean and Castiel while Sam and Gabriel are discussing the healing ritual. But things between them are far away from being fixed. Moreover, we get to see Charlie and Crowley in the final part too!

I really hope someone is enjoying the story. Thanks a lot for following and favouriting the story, I appreciated it! If you could spare a moment to give me an opinion it would be gold! Just to know if I'm writing something decent!

**Warnings**: This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.

**Summury:** AU for s06e22. Castiel, betraying his deal with Crowley, opens the Door of Purgatory to absorb the souls and gain the power to beat Raphael, but he is stopped by the last person he was expecting, Gabriel, who persuades him to give it up. However, before Cas can close the Door, something comes out and spreads on the Earth. So, the two angels find themselves in the position to fight a war against their own siblings and to have to deal with the Leviathans, whose leader seems to have ill intentions towards mankind.

The Winchesters are reluctantly forced to help, but the collaboration isn't going to be easy. Dean and Cas can't put aside their personal conflict and the angel decides to leave to try and find his lost faith, whose lack is quickly and inevitably consuming him. The brothers are left to fix the whole mess by themselves, together with the trickster archangel who has ambiguous intentions towards Sam and who is also busy dealing with his own issues.

In his behalf, Crowley finds an odd partner-in-crime in the brilliant IT employees Charlie Bradbury, but the results are not quite the ones he was expecting.

**Pairings:** Dean x Castiel, Sam x Gabriel, some Crowley x Bobby.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

Dean found Castiel standing in the backyard as Gabriel had told him. The light breeze made his trench coat flutter, the sound reminding him of wings flapping. The angel was completely still, apparently lost in his own thoughts, and did nothing as he approached him, but the hunter knew that he was aware of his presence. Cas always was. He stopped almost by his side.

"Castiel" he called, without looking at him after some more moments of silence. His voice was harsh, but emotionless. He saw the angel immediately turning towards him with the corner of his eye. "Walk with me."

He moved forward and Castiel instantly followed, striding silently next to him. They weren't touching, but as usual they were closer that necessary, and it annoyed Dean more than it used to. He couldn't stand the fact that, after everything he had done to them, the angel still acted as if they were cool. He was aware that the other probably didn't knew any other way to behave around him, but that knowledge made his irritation grow even more instead of soothing it. The bastard wasn't even trying to be different, to show some shame. It was like Castiel didn't understand the seriousness of what he had done, the real extent of the harm he had caused. A part of him knew that it wasn't true, had caught the deep hurt and the burning regret in the angel's stormy eyes, had seen his desperate need of forgiveness. However he had shut it up, ignoring it. He was furious, and he needed a scapegoat on which he could unload his anger and sorrow. And Cas was just the perfect target.

"Dean…" Castiel tried after some minutes of silence.

"_Don't_. Just don't. I don't want to hear it, whatever you are going to say" the hunter interrupted curtly. He turned towards his speaker just in time to see him slumping his shoulders and lowering his gaze. His annoyance grew at the sight. "And don't look like that. You are not the victim here. You messed up and now you must face the consequences of your actions."

"I'm sorry, Dean" the angel mumbled again, but his eyes stayed on the ground. He could feel the human's burning stare on him and the hurt hidden under the anger made him feel unworthy and deeply ashamed of his whole existence. He had failed completely, both himself and the people who trusted him.

"Being sorry is not enough, Castiel. Do you know what you have done? Can you understand it? Or your fucking being-an-angel shit doesn't allow you to get the real meaning of your actions?" Dean attacked him, stopping abruptly and grabbing his shoulder to force the other to face him. He wanted to punch him, to dig his nails in his flesh until he drew blood out of it. The angel could have easily overpowered him, but he knew that right now he would have just taken anything without complaining. "Damn you, Castiel! You…Everyone in my fucking life has let me down. My father, my brother, the people I've worked with, the few serious relationships I had. And then…You came. You've got me out of Hell, you've given up everything for me. You've fucking fought your own kind for my sake! And you've always believed in me, no matter what, even when _I_ stopped to believe in myself. And so I thought…I thought that finally I had met that one person that I could trust without doubt. I even dared to call you _family_…"

"Dean…" Castiel whispered, finally lifting his eyes to meet Dean's, his voice full of sorrow and guilt. "I…"

"Shut the fuck up! I'm not done, you fucking angel" the young man growled angrily. "And don't you dare to look away. I want people to look at me while I'm talking to them." He dug his fingers deeper in the other's shoulder, hard enough to bruise. "I thought wrong. Because you've let me down in the worst way possible. You played me and my family. You used us, lied to us, while you were plotting with a _demon_. You didn't bring Sam back for me, you did it because you needed someone to get the Alphas for you so that you could find your precious Purgatory!" He released his grip and shoved the angel away, unable to bear touching him any longer. "I didn't want to believe it when Bobby and Sam told me that you were trying to trick us. I argued with them, I stood up for _you_ because I couldn't accept the truth. And what was your way to show me gratitude? You destroyed my brother's mind just because we have tried to make you see that your fucking plan was a folly!"

Castiel remained silent this time, forcing himself not to look away. He couldn't bear those words and especially he couldn't bear the dark emotions that they carried with them. They burdened his chest and each one felt like an angelic blade stabbing him. The urge to disappear, to fly away was strong. But he couldn't. Dean was right, he had to face the consequences of his actions. He would take all the pain and the hatred that the hunter would give him if it could help soothing the other's suffering. The only thing he could offer now was himself as a target for the human's destructive emotions. And no matter how much it would make him suffer. He would let each word sink deeply inside him and would watch his chances to be forgiven crumble without fighting for them. Because, perhaps, he didn't deserve anyone's forgiveness. Neither his Father's nor, especially, Dean's. That was the price for being guilty of pride.

"Tell me how can I be sure now that all your previous sacrifices didn't have an ulterior reason? How can I trust you again? How can I know that all your words aren't nothing but lies and deceits?" the older Winchester went on, clenching his fists until his nails were digging into his palms. "How can I trust anyone just a little now that you, the one who was supposed to be my guardian, the _only_ person that I fully trusted in my sorry life, have betrayed me so deeply? Now I see shadows anywhere. I have to check everything myself before being sure that it's actually true. I can't trust anyone to watch my back on a hunt, not even my brother. Can you see what you have done to me, Castiel, angel of the Lord?"

The title was spat out in a cruel mocking tone that made the angel internally wince. He remembered well their first true meeting, when he had introduced himself with those exact words. Dean had claimed that there were no such things as angels and had stabbed him with the knife he and Sam used to kill the demons. So much time had passed since that day, they had been through so much. He could have never imagined how things would go between the two of them when he had first laid his hand on Dean in Hell to save him. He, who had always been a perfect soldier of Heaven, had found himself playing the part of the traitor to stand by a human's side, had found himself falling because of that same human and not minding it as much as he should have. He had died twice for him and he was ready to do it again. Through Dean he had learnt what Lucifer had never been able to see and what his brothers and sisters couldn't really understand. He now knew why his Father had loved humankind so much, in spite of all its faults and flaws.

That thought left a bittersweet taste on his tongue. He had learnt to love mankind and for that reason he couldn't let Raphael to start the Apocalypse again and bring Heaven on Earth. It would be the destruction of the world as Dean and the others knew it. Their kind was already suffering too much, he couldn't allow more destruction and sorrow to fall on its shoulders. They deserved a second chance to build their own paradise, without the angels having a say in it. He had acted with the purpose of protecting the humans, but now he saw that he had just obtained to force himself on his friends, showing himself to be not so different from the brother he was fighting. But his intentions had been good.

"Answer me, Castiel!" Dean exclaimed, interrupting the trail of his thoughts without warning. "I should have known, shouldn't I? I am aware that angels are all motherfuckers, but I wanted to believe that you were different. That you were a bastard, but a _nice_ one. I was wrong, wasn't I? You are exactly like your siblings!"

"I am not!" the angel talked back, the words slipping from his lips before he could realise it. His tone was darker than usual and he was starting to feel his own anger blooming among the shame. "I am guilty, Dean. I won't deny it. I've sinned, I've mistaken, I've betrayed. But I didn't mean any harm. All I wanted was to prevent Raphael from starting the Apocalypse again."

His reaction made Dean flare up even more. He grabbed him by his coat and pulled hard. "How? Playing _God_? What would have happened if that damned Trickster hadn't showed up? What would have _you_ done?" he snorted, shoving him away once again. "You said you'd have fixed Sam. But how can you blame me for not believing you? What if all that power had gone to your head? You would have become just another monster we'd have to destroy. I don't care if your intentions were good. I don't _fucking_ care. The only thing that is clear to me is that you didn't value us…_me_ enough to come and tell me everything. You felt the need to act behind my back and didn't value my word on the matter at all. You tried to force me to do what you wanted me to do. You threatened me. This is what you did wrong. I myself have once told you that maybe you should be the one to play the sheriff up there, because I trusted the person I thought you were. But I got that wrong too."

Castiel took a step forward and reached out for him. "Dean, I know I don't deserve to ask your forgiveness, but, please, you have to believe me when I say that everything I have done I did it also for you" he pleaded, his voice faltering. "I repent of my errors and I'm asking for your help to fix them. Do this for me and I will disappear from your life. You'll never see me again."

"Don't touch me!" the hunter growled, slapping his hand away, almost disgusted. Then he let out a bitter laugh. "You really don't understand, do you? I've already made a deal with that prick of your brother, so I will help you with the Leviathans. But I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it because saving people is my job. It won't fix things between us. Even if you disappeared, it wouldn't be enough. God, even if you died it wouldn't change anything. What is done is done, Cas. You can't erase it."

"What do you want me to do then?" the angel asked opening his arms in surrender. "How can I sooth your sorrow? I'd give my life for you and you know it."

Dean shot him a nasty look. He would never understand how that guy could say those embarrassing things with so much ease. He looked away, feeling frustrated. He knew that Castiel was telling the truth. The angel's devotion for him was still strong and there, even after all he had just said. He ran a hand on his face. "You can't do anything, Cas. I just want my nerdy angel friend back. And you aren't him. Not anymore."

The other stared at him blankly, but he could easily read the confusion in his posture. He wasn't surprised to see that the angel hadn't understood what he meant. He had always been quite clueless when it came to deep human meanings. Once he found it quite amusing, but now it was painfully exasperating. "Listen, Castiel…" he started with a sigh, but he was interrupted.

"You are right, Dean" Castiel said quietly, his blue eyes shining again with a new determination. "Now I know what I need to do. I'll be back once I'm ready." And he disappeared in a flap of wings, leaving a very astonished hunter behind.

The older Winchester let out a groan. What the hell was that idiotic angel thinking now? They were about to face another conflict, he couldn't just wander off like that. Where had he gone? And what had he meant with those words? "Castiel! Come back! Whatever you've understood, it was not what I meant!" he called back, even if he had the feeling that he wouldn't get an answer. "What about the Leviathans? Damn you, Cas, come back!"

He kicked the nearest thing, letting out a heavy curse. Fucking angel. He never did what he expected him to do. He wandered around the yard for a while, but he had to admit to himself that Castiel wasn't coming back any soon. So he had better find something else to do. Like checking on his brother. He realised in that moment that he had completely forgotten about Sam. He mentally punched himself. How could he have let the fact that his younger sibling was stuck alone with a Trickster slip away from his mind? Castiel was driving him crazy, more than he usually did.

He turned around and walked quickly towards the house, hoping that Sam hadn't been in need of his help while he was busy arguing with the angel. When he crossed the threshold the building was completely silent, but it didn't reassure him at all. He immediately headed downstairs and, without bothering to knock, he unlocked the door of the panic room and flung it open.

The sight that met his eyes left him completely speechless. His brother was sprawled on the folding bed, eyes closed and crumpled sheets covering his otherwise naked body, while Gabriel was sat at the end of the mattress, his back against the wall and a huge smirk on his face.

"What the _fuck_?!" he exclaimed incredulously after a few seconds of gaping.

The archangel bit down his lip not to laugh and Sam cracked one eye opened to look at him. The younger Winchester beamed in recognition, something Dean hadn't seen him doing since when they were kids, and waved a hand to him. "Hey, Dean!" he greeted dreamily.

He turned towards Gabriel. "You son of bitch!" he roared, sounding astonished and furious at the same time. "You _fucked_ my little brother?!"

"I didn't" the other answered quickly, in the same moment when Sam said: "Oh _yeah_, he did." LOL

"It's better if you go back to sleep, Sammy" Gabriel mumbled, glaring at the younger hunter who smiled meekly at him in response, not really aware of the tension that had filled the room.

Dean's stare became if possible even more murderous. "What have you done to him, you prick?" he growled taking a step towards the shorter man. "And don't you dare to put him to sleep with one of your angel tricks!"

"It's just the side effect of the Grace I used to heal him. His wall is back in place and it's even stronger if possible" the archangel explained calmly. "He will be himself again in a few hours. No need to get so pissed off, Winchester!"

"Oh, I'm not pissed! I'm fucking going to kill you! You took advantage of Sam!" he shouted, pointing at his brother, who looked at him confused.

"I didn't take advantage of him!" Gabriel protested loudly. "Who do you think I am? Trickster or not, I'm still an angel. I don't go around raping people!"

"He's telling the truth, Dean. I agreed to this" Sam nodded grinning widely. "And it was awesome! The _best_ sex I had in my life."

Dean's eyes widened in horror at that and he groaned covering his eyes with a hand. "I didn't need to know that" he muttered exasperated. Then he turned towards the archangel. "I changed my mind. Put him to sleep, my mental sanity doesn't need other shocks."

"With pleasure" the latter answered and he rested to fingers on the younger hunter's forehead, making him fall asleep instantly.

The older Winchester paced around the room for a minute, trying to calm himself down, before speaking again. "I will need time to digest…_this_". He waved a hand towards the bed. "So let's not talk about it again for now. Just…Did it work? Is he fine now?"

"Yes. He is good. No more too realistic nightmares or comas or hallucinations" the archangel assured, getting up in turn. He looked quite happy to let the subject go. He didn't want the human to ruin his mood. "He just needs to sleep."

"Good" he nodded, glancing at his sleeping brother again. Seeing him so relaxed and peaceful made him smile in spite of everything. Sam had been looking troubled and tormented for too much time during the previous years, since Jessica's death. He deserved a break from all the shit they had to face every day. "Let's let him rest then."

Gabriel nodded and followed him out of the room, shutting the door behind him. "Speaking of younger brothers, where's mine?" he questioned raising an eyebrow. "You weren't wearing a happy face when you have joined us."

Dean couldn't meet his eyes. "Castiel is gone."

The other stared at him incredulous. "Gone? What do you mean by _gone_? You let him wander off by himself with all those angels who want him dead?"

He threw his hands up. "Listen, it wasn't my fault. We were talking and then…He said something weird and just disappeared. I don't know where he is. And I didn't tell him to leave, before you ask. I…I'm furious with him, but I don't want him to die."

"But you don't care enough to prevent him from risking his life" the archangel snorted, rolling his eyes. "What did you tell him to make him react that way, apart from your usual shit?"

"I…I just told him that he couldn't do anything to fix what he had done and that I wished I could have the old Cas back" the hunter answered, his voice suddenly becoming slightly unsure. "He said something about the fact that he knew what to do and that he would come back and then he disappeared. I have no idea of what he was talking about."

"Oh, great. Well done, Winchester" Gabriel growled, glaring at him, his eyes shining with power. "I swear that, if something happens to Castiel, I'll consider you responsible and you'll have to deal with me". And he was gone without waiting for an answer.

Dean stared at the spot where he had been and then sighed, mentally cursing the day in which he had discovered that Heaven existed and that the angels were all assholes. He went in the living room and grabbed a bottle of whiskey, without bothering to get a glass. If Sam could spend his day of rest enjoying happy angel-induced sleep, he could freely waste himself with alcohol. He needed to forget for a while about everything, especially about broken sky-blue eyes.

** ж**

Charlene pulled out the keys of her small apartment from her bag and unlocked the door with a sigh. She removed her wet jacket and hanged it in the corridor, throwing her Star Wars umbrella on the floor. She didn't mind the rain, but she totally hated it when it started to fall without warning, threatening to soak not only her but her laptop as well. She carefully extracted the latter from its case and put it on the table. It seemed fine and _dry_. Luckily for her the tragedy had been avoided once again.

She nodded satisfied and headed for the bathroom, getting rid of her wet clothes in the process. The water became hot in a short time and she spent a good half an hour enjoying a nice shower. The heat washed away the cold and the tension from her limbs, leaving her relaxed and much happier. She enjoyed working for Richard Roman Enterprises, but at times she couldn't help thinking that her bosses were constantly breathing down her neck and it made her nervous. Despite her laid-back attitude, she was a private person and she didn't like when someone intruded into her life without her consent.

Charlie got out of the shower and wrapped a big fluffy yellow towel around herself. She smiled at her reflexion in the mirror as she rubbed her hair with another one. She had already finished her work for the day, which meant that she could spend the whole evening caring for her hobbies and finally watching Games of Thrones newest episode. The file had been waiting for her for almost three days.

She left the bathroom tying her hair up in a messy chignon and stopped in the kitchen to make herself some hot chocolate. Then, with the cup in her hand, she moved back in the small living room, eager to switch her TV on. But when she entered the room she found that it wasn't empty anymore. A man in his late forties was standing in front of one of her posters, studying the drawing attentively. He was wearing a fine black suit that fitted his somehow regal posture. Charlie let out a surprised gasp and her free hand gripped the edge of her towel.

The stranger turned around and offered her a smile that looked awfully like a malicious grin. "What interesting pieces of art you have here, Miss Middleton" he commented gesturing the posters. "But they are not exactly my cup of tea."

The young woman stared at him for some more seconds, then she let out a deafening scream and threw the still steaming cup at him. Who the hell was that? And how did he know her real surname? The mug crushed against the wall in front of which the man had been standing. Charlene look around, eyes wide in surprise. He had disappeared before her. And she had just destroyed her favourite Lord of the Rings mug.

A polite fit of coughing made her turn around and she found herself once again facing the stranger. He was still wearing his sinister smile and she could have sworn that his eyes were glowing with a soft red light.

"Is this how you usually welcome guests, miss?" he asked mockingly. "I guess that part is my fault since I haven't introduced myself. My name is Crowley and I'm the current ruler of Hell."

She blinked at him, confused. "Wait a moment. Is this some kind of reality show? A trick?" she questioned suspiciously. "And, besides, I've always thought that the Devil's name was Lucifer."

"Well, Lucifer is back in his Cage so I took the leadership in his place. You know, if you are smart enough you can have a successful carrier in Hell too. All you need are the right qualities and the right allies" he explained nonchalantly. "And no, my dear Charlene, this is not a show, it's reality. I'm here because you will soon be able to offer me some valuable help. May I sit down? And you don't mind if I have a drink, do you? I guess you don't have any fine liquor here."

She shook her head, gesturing him to make himself at home, and took some steps back to let Crowley go past her. His eyes never left her as he took a sit on the small green sofa and made himself comfortable. He waved his hand a little and a bottle of Craig scotch appeared on the plastic coffee table together with two already filled glasses. He took one and pushed the other towards Charlie, who however made no move to take it.

"If you really are the _new_ Devil, I guess there's no point in asking you how you know my real name" she said carefully, approaching the couch a bit. What she had just heard was clearly impossible, but she had just seen the man teleporting himself from one side of the room to the other. She didn't know what demons could do, but she was sure that no real human could make something appear from nowhere. Whatever was going on it was surely dangerous, so the best thing she could do was trying not to piss her unexpected guest off. "I don't understand. What could an IT employee do for the ruler of Hell?"

"Well, I'd really like to create some kind of informatics database to help me classifying the souls and the demons that are under my watch, but this is not why I came here" he replied as he sipped his drink, in a conversational tone that prevented the young woman to understand if he was kidding or not. "I'm interested in your boss, Mr Roman."

"I…I've never met him" she quickly informed him. She smiled awkwardly, her lips stretching hysterically. "I'm just an employee, and he is the great boss. I just get his emails, from time to time. The kind of emails that they send to all the employees, you know."

"I know. But he will contact you soon once he will have noticed your unique brilliance. Well, it won't be exactly him the one to contact you…" the demon said cryptically, putting on a frown. "Anyway. I want you to inform me when it happens. And to let me in on their plans. Obviously I don't expect you to work for me for free. We can negotiate your reward. I'm pretty powerful, so you can ask almost whatever you want. And, of course, you'll have my protection against any possible threat."

Charlene raised her hands, now openly confused. "Wait a second…Mr Crowley. _Their_ plans? And what did you mean when you said that it won't be _exactly _Roman who will contact me? What's going on?"

"Oh, you are as smart as I thought. Good. I don't like dealing with dumb people. It's frustrating" Crowley commented, sounding oddly satisfied. "You see, yesterday a friend of mine…Well, he's not exactly a friend. Anyway, he opened the door of Purgatory and freed some creatures called Leviathans. They are pretty powerful and I wish to have…how to say…the right _means_ to offer them my partnership. As the King of Hell I need to preserve myself and my influence here on Earth. And with the Leviathans around it would be difficult, unless I team up with them. Can you understand? It's just business."

The young woman stared at him for a long time, digesting the information she had just received, while the demon kept politely quiet, busying himself with his glass of scotch. In the end she took a deep breath and finally reached for her own drink taking a big gulp, which caused her to cough for a while.

"So, let me see if I got it right" she managed to say, her voice still a bit hoarse for the liquor. "This Leviathan that has taken Richard Roman's place will call me to force me to work for them. And you want me to double-cross them so that I can inform you of what they want to do. With that information you'll be able to come up with something that will allow you to do business with them". She received a nod of approval. "Are you sure that this is real life?"

"Yeah, pretty much, my dear Charlene" Crowley nodded, amused by her reaction. The girl had reacted pretty well, if he pretended to forget about the cup that had been thrown at him. She was quick and smart, so she would surely be up to the job. However, he had to be careful with her. She wouldn't be happy to find out that the Leviathans had in store nothing good for the humans and that could make him lose his precious spy. But after all he himself knew very little about what the Purgatory creatures were up to. The only thing he could do was to wait and see, and of course to be prepared for anything. Patience had never been his better quality, but for once he would have to constrain his impatience and let the events do their course. He was sure that Castiel and his companions would make their move soon, and there was also the question of what Raphael would do about the Leviathans issue. Knowing the archangel, she wouldn't just sit and watch as they took possession of the planet, preventing her from starting her precious Apocalypse. There were many matters of uncertainty, and that was why he needed to choose his moves in advance. And Charlene Bradbury alias Middleton was one of them.

"So…?" the young woman offered tentatively, looking at him expectantly.

"So you need to tell me if you are in or out. Obviously once you say "yes" there's no going back from our deal" he answered matter-of-factly. "Do you need more persuasion? I can be pretty convincing. Shall we discuss your reward perhaps?"

Charlene shook her head. "Stop for a moment, Mr Devil" she said crossing her arms on her chest. She was starting to feel cold, but there was no way that she would trust the King of Hell alone with her belongings. Besides, a part of her initial fear had faded as soon as she had adapted to that strange presence that had invaded her living room and she was feeling more daring. "I won't agree to any deal until I have a better view of what is going on. I want to know what I'm getting myself into before playing the spy of the new Lucifer. We can discuss a trial period before signing a real deal. 'Cause there's no way I'm trusting the Devil, even if he is dressed so nicely and is so well-mannered. What do you say, Mr Crowley?"

The demon pretended to be considering her words for a moment. That was what he had feared. That human wasn't so easily manipulated as her kind usually was. Not too bad, a good challenge was always nice from time to time. Besides, he could come up with other uses for her. Who knew, maybe she would turn out to be a useful weapon against the Winchesters. He smirked to himself. He could afford to give her some more liberties. "Alright, Charlene. You'll have you trial period if this is what you need. However, I'd like you to do something for me in return. Just to make sure that you are up to the job" he agreed in the end, joining the point of his fingers. "And please, you don't need to use that "Mr". We'll be partners soon after all, don't you agree?"

"Fine…Crowley" she nodded, feeling a bit awkward while pronouncing the name in such an informal manner. But who could blame her? The Devil had just asked her to call him as if he was one of her buddies. "What kind of job is it?"

The demon's grin widened. "Nothing difficult or dangerous. I just want you to meet some people and make friends with them. I'll give you the right cover" he answered briefly. "You have the weekend free this week, haven't you?"

Charlie bit back the urge to ask how he knew her timetables. "Yeah. But I already have another engagement…". Crowley raised an eyebrow at her and she immediately made up: "But I can always cancel! I mean, it is just a convention!" One she had been waiting for since her twentieth birthday, but she didn't say that.

"Good. I'm sure we'll get along, Charlene" the King of Hell claimed satisfied as he got up. "Well, I guess I'll leave you to your free evening, my dear. See you in two days". He shot a look at her half-naked body. "And try not to catch a cold. It would be annoying." And with that he was gone, together with the scotch.

The young woman let herself fell on the sofa, letting out a breath she hadn't realised she had been holding. That was pure madness. She had just been hired by the Devil. And she was starting in two days. In that moment the newest episode of Game of Thrones didn't seem so important. She grabbed her laptop and switched it on. She had better do some research since she had the chance. She had no idea of what would happen next, but she had better prepare herself anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey there, guys!

Here am I! On time this week...But I can't promise that it will always be like this! Sorry...Anyway, I wanted to give you all a V-day present, even if i really don't do Valentine's day. Just...I hope that whoever of you care about it have/had a nice day!

Back to the story. This chapter is mostly an aftermath of the previous, both for the Winchesters, who still have to keep on hunting while waiting to find a way to fix the current mess, and for Charlie, who has got her "trial period". And Cas? Well, you won't see him in this chapter...Maybe in the next one! He has his own plot line from now on.

One more thing. I've realised that I've never explained the meaning of the title. It's quite "simple" to tell the truth...As I said in the introduction to the first chapter, the plot revolves mostly around the relationships among the characters with particular attention on the themes of trust and faith. The blue irises symbolically represent these two themes. So the title is basically a metaphor.

Alright, I'll leave you to the story! Thanks a lot to all the readers! I really appreciate your interest!  
Please, if you can and feel like, leave me a comment! It will help me understand if I'm doing good or not!

Enjoy!

**Warnings**: This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.

**Summury:** AU for s06e22. Castiel, betraying his deal with Crowley, opens the Door of Purgatory to absorb the souls and gain the power to beat Raphael, but he is stopped by the last person he was expecting, Gabriel, who persuades him to give it up. However, before Cas can close the Door, something comes out and spreads on the Earth. So, the two angels find themselves in the position to fight a war against their own siblings and to have to deal with the Leviathans, whose leader seems to have ill intentions towards mankind.

The Winchesters are reluctantly forced to help, but the collaboration isn't going to be easy. Dean and Cas can't put aside their personal conflict and the angel decides to leave to try and find his lost faith, whose lack is quickly and inevitably consuming him. The brothers are left to fix the whole mess by themselves, together with the trickster archangel who has ambiguous intentions towards Sam and who is also busy dealing with his own issues.

In his behalf, Crowley finds an odd partner-in-crime in the brilliant IT employees Charlie Bradbury, but the results are not quite the ones he was expecting.

**Pairings:** Dean x Castiel, Sam x Gabriel, some Crowley x Bobby.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

Sam woke up slowly, feeling reluctant to leave the warm and pleasant sensation that had accompanied his sleep, but he couldn't prevent his mind from becoming active once again. He didn't remember the last time he had felt so well rested and for once he found that he had awaken not because he needed to or to escape some nasty nightmare, but because he was perfectly sated with sleep. It was one of the most wonderful feelings he had ever experienced.

He stirred his still numb limbs and used his arms to put himself in a sitting position, running a hand on his eyes. His thoughts were still a bit blurred and it took him a couple of yawns and some minutes to recall exactly what had happened. The ritual, he and Gabriel doing it, the few words he had exchanged with Dean. He felt his cheeks flushing a little at the memory of his shameless statements. God, he wouldn't have said something like that even while being completely wasted. Apparently being drunk with angelic Grace fucked your mind much more than having too many drinks. But at least it left you feeling great instead of making you face the negative sides of a hangover.

"Hey, welcome back to the real world, Sleeping Beauty!" a familiar voice sang from the other side of the room. "You've slept for a day and a half! How do you feel?"

Sam looked up and he saw Gabriel standing on the threshold, carrying a trail loaded with what looked like his favourite foods. "I've never felt better than this" he admitted, eyeing the dishes. "I slept for so long? Wow. I didn't even realise it."

"I didn't expect you to. Your body needed a while to metabolise the effects of my Grace. And you needed to rest". The archangel put the trail in his lap and sat down next to him. "But it's a good sign. It means that the ritual has actually worked. Not that I had doubts."

"Yeah…" the hunter mumbled, looking away. Having the shorter man so close to him brought back pleasurable memories that were still a bit too intense for his likings. He focused his attention on the food. "You prepared this?" he asked, the "just for me" going untold.

"Shall I remind you that I just need to snap my fingers to get everything I want? Trickster here, remember?" the other asked in a non-caring tone, shrugging. "I just thought that you'd be hungry. I know human needs pretty well after centuries spent living with your kind."

"Yeah, I could tell" Sam nodded, trying to smile but not totally achieving it. It still felt so awkward being around the archangel after what they had done. He had had some one-night stands in the past, but they had never been is thing. Besides, what the two of them had shared hadn't just been a quick contact of skin. Gabriel had made him see the stars, literally speaking, while ravishing his soul. And he had heard his _true_ voice. He cleared his throat and busied himself with his chicken salad. "Thanks, Gabriel. For everything."

"Don't mention it. We are even" the archangel stated offering him a seductive smirk. "I told you that I would have been very grateful if you had let me have my way with you, and so I am."

"Idiot" the young man muttered, rolling his eyes, but his embarrassment was evident. "I guess you won't give me the time I need to digest what we have done, will you?"

"Oh, and spoil my fun? No way, Sammy-boy!" Gabriel crossed his arms, clearly amused. "I _love _it when you squirm to fight the awkwardness! Your brother is right, you are such a girl sometimes!"

The hunter shot him a murderous glare. "I don't _squirm_. And I do not act like a girl" he claimed with force. "And you jerk should just shut up. Or should I remind you how caring and gentle you have been with me?" He grinned satisfied sensing his speaker tensing at that. "I wasn't high enough not to notice, not at the beginning at least. Don't deny it, it's useless". His tone softened. "You _do _care, in spite of everything. About me, about Castiel, and maybe even about my brother as well."

Gabriel snorted, not pleased at all with where the conversation was heading. "Yeah, fine. It's true. I care about you wimps. You have the bad habit of putting yourselves in serious troubles. Someone needs to look after you" he admitted, almost sulking. "Cas is family and he is the reason I'm back and you…Well, I told you already. I like you, gigantor boy, and, since you care so much for your idiot brother, I feel responsible about him as well."

Sam gaped at him for a while, fork half way to his mouth, not knowing what to say. He had expected a sarcastic answer, which he had got, but he hadn't anticipated such openness. He felt a hint of warm spreading in his chest, but he dismissed it as a leftover of Gabriel's Grace reacting to its owner's closeness. There was no way that he was going to consider the fact that maybe the odd feeling that lingered between them was some kind of unresolved emotional and sexual tension. "Speaking of my brother, where is he?" he asked, quickly changing the subject to chase away those disturbing thoughts. "I remember him being quite not cool with what we did…"

"And I guess you also remembered your comment about how awesome is having sex with me" the archangel teased with a small chuckle, making Sam smile a bit in turn. "Well, he said that he needed time and that he was just letting it leave for now." He turned serious. "The fact is that things between him and Castiel hadn't been good. My brother left."

The younger Winchester groaned. "He _left_? What has Dean done to make him go away? That jerk…" he sighed shaking his head. "I knew that leaving them alone was a bad idea!"

"Your brother refused to give me much information. I got that the two had a fight and that Cas left because he wants to find a way to make Dean trust him again" the archangel explained calmly. "Obviously I went immediately after him. It's taken me a while to find him, he is getting better at his tricks even if his Grace is fading. He is my baby brother after all. We spoke for a while. He didn't tell me what he was up to, but he promised that he will call if he gets in troubles." His eyes became unfocused for a moment. "I'm not happy knowing that he is out there alone, but he needs to do whatever he is doing. And I want to trust him since he trusts me, even after everything I have done."

Sam smiled sadly at those words and reached out for the shorter man's shoulder. "I'm sure he will be fine" he offered trying to sound reassuring. "Castiel knows how to take care of himself." He hesitated for a moment. "Were you two close? Before you left Heaven, I mean."

Gabriel looked at him, clearly surprised by the question. "Angels don't share the same type of bonds you humans are used to. We are all connected to each other by default, or at least we were when Dad was still with us. We used to share everything and just knowing that brought us joy. It was all light, love and similar stuff. A real bore." He let out a laugh, but it sounded empty. "Cassie has always been the weird one, he had always felt too much for his own good, and I liked him for that reason. He was so _young _at the time. He was always around questioning us archangels about Father and His creations. And when you explained him something he didn't know, he gave you this look full of wonder that made you blush. Really. Even _Lucifer _was not immune to his bright stare. And that was so much fun. He and I spent hours watching Dad's creations. Everything was so…peaceful." He shook his head. "But the thing that we all envied him was his faith. No one was capable of such a deep trust, and that's why it was rumoured that he was one of Father's favourites, in spite of him being just a foot soldier. Even after Lucy's Fall and Dad's disappearance he's never stopped believing. And when he has been forced to give up his faith in Heaven and God, he found something else to believe in."

"Dean" the hunter completed for him, nodding. He couldn't help finding the story touching. Lucifer's Fall, God's disappearance, the Apocalypse had always been something he had had to deal with, but that didn't really touch him. Now, listening to Gabriel's version, he saw what they were: the tragedy of a family that had fallen apart completely. He had never thought about what all that could have meant for the angels. He even understood why Raphael was so eager to bring Heaven on Earth. She was just tired of seeing her people fighting. It was her way to express her wish to have her family back.

"Exactly. Your brother has become Castiel's new point of reference" the archangel went on, unaware of his reflections. "Castiel _needs _to believe in something. He is falling, but until he had his faith he could find a way to survive. But the last events haven't been nice on him. Seeing his family at war once again, feeling rejected from his home…It's more than he could take. That's why he had been so desperate to find a way to stop the conflict. He feels responsible. But then Dean has rejected him as well, not trusting him, and he has lost everything he had. I'm more worried about him not finding his faith once again than him being left alone to fight against Raphael."

"Why is that?"

"Do you know what happens to angels when they lose all their Grace?"

"They become humans?" the younger Winchester offered, but he had the feeling that it wasn't the right answer.

"That's true if it is removed or if we voluntarily leave the Host. Because even if we lose our power we still keep our essence, which is based on faith" the other corrected him in a gloomy tone. "If angels stop believing…they die."

Sam stared at him in horror. "Are you saying that Cas is…" he started to ask, but he was interrupted.

"You should go and check your brother. While I was out and you were sleeping he has decided to drink himself unconscious. When I came back he was _totally _wasted" Gabriel said, sounding suddenly cheerful. "I tried to make him stop, but he shot me. More than once. So I just put him to sleep. Bobby wasn't happy when he found out about the whole mess. Anyway, Dean woke up about two hours ago and locked himself in the bathroom. But by now he should be done with the vomiting."

"Gabriel…" the hunter tried again.

"Get dressed and go and check on your brother, Sam" the archangel repeated more firmly, his tone becoming imperative.

He could do nothing but nodding, getting up and grabbing his clothes from one of the chairs. He put them on quickly and, before heading for the door, he laid a hand on the other's shoulder again, letting it linger for some moments before heading for the door. He stopped by the threshold. "We won't let anything bad happen to him. He may have betrayed us, but once you have become a part of the Winchester family it's not so easy to get out."

Gabriel nodded and then shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't get me wrong, kiddo. I'm not even considering that option. He'll be absolutely fine because he has _me _to watch over him now."

Sam laughed shaking his head. "Yeah, the fabulous angelic Trickster" he teased with a grin.

"Go to Dean, Sammy-boy" the archangel ordered, but this time his smirk looked less fake.

The hunter sighed and turned around to exit the room. However, he had barely taken a step when he felt a flap of wings coming from behind his back. Instinctively he looked back, but Gabriel was nowhere to be seen.

** ж**

Dean let out another pained groan, tightening his grip on the ceramic of the toilet bowl. His head hurt like hell and so did his neck, probably because of the weird position in which Gabriel had left him after having put him to sleep. Damned archangel. He was going to punch him as soon as he felt better. Ten hits for _fucking _his baby brother, because there was no way that he would buy the ritual shit, and five for the pain that was tormenting his body. He had had to ask Bobby to help him to the bathroom because he couldn't walk by himself. The older man had shot him a reproachful glare, but he had patted his back sympathetically before leaving him alone so that he could relieve the burden in his guts. For many terrible long minutes he had thought that he would die there, twisting in pain on a cold floor, cursing some bottle of alcoholic God-knew-what and a fucking Trickster. But then something had finally started to move inside his stomach and he had spent the following hour and half spewing his guts out.

At the moment the headache was still terrible, but he was feeling a bit better, even if nauseous. He decided that he could use an aspirin as soon as he managed to get up and go downstairs. He smiled in spite of everything. There was a positive aspect in being so wasted. The physical sufferance was preventing his mind from lingering too much on the whole Castiel's issue and he was very happy about it.

A soft knock broke the trail of his thoughts and he looked up to see Sam carefully opening the door. His brother looked at him for some moments with a strange expression on his face, as if he didn't know if he should laugh or fuss over him.

"Man, you look worse than I had imagined" he commented in the end, raising an eyebrow. "Do you need help?"

"You look awfully good, instead, Sammy. Is having sex with an angel so miraculous? Maybe I should try too. Anna doesn't count, she was human at the time" he talked back sarcastically, but held out a hand towards the other hunter. "Get me off this damned floor, will ya?"

"I don't think that Gabriel would accept to give you a go if you asked" Sam stated with a smirk, grabbing his brother's arm and helping him on his feet. "He doesn't like you as much as he likes me."

"And I thank all the gods for that!" the older Winchester exclaimed, glaring at him. "Don't tell me that you two are already mutually exclusive! Aren't you going a bit too fast?"

Sam snorted. "Very funny, Dean. But I'm sorry to inform you that I'm not dating the Trickster." He rolled his eyes and gave the other a light push, being careful not to affect too much his already precarious balance. He was glad to see that after all Dean had taken the whole ritual sex thing better than he had expected. Even if he would be much happier if his sibling just stopped those sarcastic allusions.

The older hunter smirked. "Oh, sorry. So, are you fuck buddies? 'Cause I can't believe that you don't want to repeat the experience since it has been the _best _sex of your life. Your own words, little brother."

"Oh shut up, Dean! I wasn't myself when I said that!"

"So you now state that it was not?"

The younger didn't answered and looked away, hooking his arm around his brother's back to keep him from stumbling. He would have lied if he had said that he hadn't mean those words, but it still didn't imply that he was going to have sex with Gabriel again anytime soon. At least, that was what he had been telling himself since he had woken up. He didn't know how he would have reacted if the archangel had decided to seduce him.

"I knew it" Dean muttered with a sigh. He didn't like the fact that the Trickster had got so close to his brother, but on the other hand he preferred to know that Sam was banging one of their allies instead of going around and getting into unhealthy relationships with some hot demon chick. He still hadn't got over the Ruby affair and he had no intention of seeing it happen again. At least he knew that the archangel would watch over his brother instead of tricking him into freeing the Devil from his cage. He didn't trust Gabriel, but they shared the same kind of protectiveness towards their younger siblings, so he was sure that he'd never hurt his. "Well, you are an adult. Go and do whatever you want with your new heavenly boyfriend. But don't ask for my blessing. And I swear that if he doesn't treat you as he should I will personally kill him again and piss on his fucking grave."

Sam looked a little shocked by his words and gaped at him for some moments. His older brother had to be still a lot drunk to be saying those things. Or maybe it was his way to deal with the guilt he felt for how things had gone with Castiel. He was being permissive with him not to remember how hard he had been on the angel. It made sense, it was a Dean thing. "I'm not going to marry him or anything. Actually, I'm not even sure that it meant something more than him healing me" he said quietly in the end. "But thanks for trusting me."

"It's not a matter of trust. The fact is that I can watch you two since you are around" Dean corrected him in a strict tone. "I still don't approve. But better a fucking _male _archangel turned Trickster turned archangel again than a demon chick. That's my policy."

"You'll never let that go, won't you?"

"Oh, I will. If you start banging Gabriel for real. _That _I will never let go."

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

Sam let out an amused snort, but didn't talk back, busying himself with helping his brother to walk down the stairs, which turned out to be more difficult that he had expected since Dean kept missing the steps. When they reached the ground floor, he was already almost sure that the other had been doing it partially on purpose.

Bobby was waiting for them in the living room. "Oh, look at who has finally decided to show up!" he greeted them with a sarcastic tone. "Well, Dean, you look much better now, even if I bet you still feel like shit. You owe me a lot for all the alcohol you drank." He gestured the empty bottles that he had set on his desk. "Oh, and by the way, tell your Trickster friend that if he mess with my kitchen once again I'll kill him, archangel or not."

"If he does, call me and I'll lend you a hand" the older Winchester said with a groan, detaching himself from his brother and reaching out for the couch. "And, for the record, he is _Sam's _Trickster friend, not mine."

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed exasperated. "Stop it!"

"Idjits" the older man mumbled. Then he raised his voice. "Don't sit down, you boys are leaving. There's a job for you" he announced firmly. "Pack your things and bring you asses to the Black Hills. One of my contacts informed me that something's going on in Mountain Pine, a small town near Hot Springs."

"You are sending us on a hunt?" the younger hunter asked incredulous. "What about the Leviathans? We should focus on finding a way to kill them. That's our priority!"

"We know nothing about them right now. I can manage the research part on my own. Besides, I have a friend that could help us" Bobby stated, crossing his arms. "You kept hunting even during the Apocalypse, so I don't see why you shouldn't now. Staying here waiting for finding by chance a secret weapon or, worse, for some of those damned angels to show up won't be useful. You'd better go and do your job."

"He has a point, Sam" Dean admitted, glaring at the sofa resentfully. It looked too comfortable for his likings in that moment. "Staying here won't do us any good. It's better if we go and unload some tension. I really feel like killing one of those bastards right now."

The younger Winchester lifted his hands in surrender. "Fine, we are going. Let me get my things" he gave up with a sigh. The other two were right. He felt fine at the moment but he knew what days of inactivity could do to him. He didn't need action as much as his brother, but he still wasn't able to just sit and wait. "Can you manage yours, Dean?"

"Yeah, I'm not _that _wasted. Not anymore" the muttered answer was.

Half an hour later, the two young hunters were already on their way. Sam had taken the driver seat, stating that Dean wasn't in the shape to drive, which was true, but it hadn't prevented the elder from complaining loudly. Now he was sitting next to him, the newspaper articles that Bobby had given them resting on his lap.

"So what's going on there?" the younger asked, looking away from the road for a moment.

"Fourteen mortal accidents. Too many to be just some random events. And it all started three weeks ago" Dean answered, picking up some of the papers. "A man lost the control of his car and fell in a river. He wasn't drunk and they found no technical faults. Two kids were crushed under the ruins of an abandoned house, which had been perfectly stable until five minutes earlier. A woman accidentally hung herself while climbing. A teenager killed by a hair-drier fallen into the bathtub. And so on."

"Nasty" Sam commented, raising an eyebrow. "Could it be a cursed object? Most of the ones that Dad had collected were deadly weapons."

"Could be. Or maybe it's a ghost linked to an object, like that painting in New York" the elder offered. "Or it could be a bored demon. We've learned too well how supernatural creatures can act when they are bored…"

"If you are somehow referring to me, consider me offended, Dean Winchester" a voice claimed from the back seat.

The Winchesters turned around, caught off guard, and found a sulking Gabriel sprawled in the back of the car, a half eaten candy cane in his mouth. Dean groaned loudly, showing his unhappiness at the unexpected visit, while Sam rolled his eyes and went back to watch the road.

"What the hell are you doing here?" the older hunter asked, hostile. "Shouldn't you be somewhere taking care of your fucking angel businesses?"

"I've just sent four of my brothers back to Heaven. They were looking for Castiel, but they found _me_. Too bad for them" the archangel chuckled, licking the sugary cane. "They are chasing you too. I'm here to make sure that nothing bad happens to you. And, besides, we are fighting the Leviathans together, or have you already forgotten?"

"We haven't. But now we are on another kind of hunt, so we don't need your presence. We can manage some angels by ourselves" Dean talked back, glaring at him. He didn't want him around while they were working. He would surely bring more problems than help and he would keep on distracting them not to get bored. And that was the last thing he needed. "So you can leave."

"Just because you have managed to trap Raphael once it doesn't mean that you'll be able to do it again" the shorter man pointed out. Those boys were too much self-assured for his likings from time to time. "She will look for you because she knows that you are the quickest way to get to Castiel. If he hears that you are in danger he will run to you, not caring about the consequences. So, if I want to keep my brother safe, I must keep you out of troubles."

"He is right, Dean. We can't afford to face an archangel alone" Sam agreed, looking at his brother. Surely the other would make some sarcastic comment about him accepting Gabriel in the team so quickly, but he knew that it was the best choice. "And he can be a nice back-up if we accidentally run into a Leviathan while on the job."

"Why am I not surprised to see you agreeing with him?" the expected mocking answer was. Then the older Winchester's tone became more serious. "Fine, you can stay. If someone keeps those angels away, it's better for us." He didn't mention the fact that he didn't want to put Castiel in the position of having to choose between their safety and his life, because he already knew what the angel's choice would have been. He bit is lower lip lightly and chased the thought away. "But if you interfere with our job I will banish you, got it?"

"Alright, I'll behave. Pinky swear!" Gabriel teased raising his pinkie finger and gaining a nasty look in response. "Oh, come on, relax, Deano! We are all still fine for now. No one has been badly wounded or sent to Hell yet."

"Very reassuring, Trickster."

The archangel opened his mouth to offer a sarcastic answer, but he seemed to change his mind because his smirk widened. "I know what can help your mood!" he claimed solemnly snapping his fingers. "And I don't want to hear again from you that I'm not a nice buddy."

Dean blinked as a laptop that looked suspiciously like Sam's appeared on his tights, a video playing on its screen. "What the fuck…!" he started to say, but he stopped abruptly, his eyes widening in surprise. He raised the volume. "Oh, man! This is…Where did you get it?!"

"Trickster, remember?" Gabriel grinned maliciously, leaning forward and resting an arm on the back of the elder's seat to be able to look at the screen in turn. "It's that special edition of Casa Erotica that you have wanted to see. But of course you can't find it in your usual cheap motel rooms. This is high quality stuff!"

"Wait a second!" Sam interjected shooting a horrifying look at the other two. "You are _not_ watching porn on _my_ laptop in this car while I'm here and _driving_!"

"Oh, we are indeed, Sammy!" his brother said, getting more comfortable against the seat. "You want me to let this freak stay? Fine, but I'm enjoying the positive aspects of his presence. Besides, I didn't get laid like you the other day. It's been a while!"

"He has a point, Sam" the archangel agreed, shooting an amused look to the younger hunter. "Besides, this is more fun than your usual conversations. But don't worry, I won't jerk off in front of you. First of all, because Dean would kill me and, secondly, because I don't want you to forget about what you are supposed to do. A car crash would be an irritating event."

Sam turned to face him, not knowing if he felt more angry or embarrassed. "_Gabriel_!"

"What?" the shorter man asked innocently.

"Shut up, you two! The good part is about to start!" Dean ordered, waving his hand without looking away from the screen.

Sam held back the urge to bang his head against the steering wheel and did his best to try and ignore the slow moans and little screams that soon filled the car. But after a while he had to admit that the worst part of that awful situation were his two companions' comments. He was used to Dean's atrocities, but the last thing he had wanted was to hear his older sibling describing in details to an archangel his sexual kinks. Not that Gabriel's ones were better, but at least he wasn't his brother. He let out a desperate sigh. It would be a long drive.

** ж**

Charlene got off from the bus that had taken her to Hot Springs and looked around. Crowley had told her that she needed to find the petrol station near the main road and wait there until she saw a black 1967 Chevrolet Impala, which seemed to be her targets' car. Then she had to hitch a ride and learn what they were doing and where they were planning to go next. Nothing too difficult, her new employer had stated, but there was no way she was going to trust the Devil. At least he had covered all her travel expenses.

She sighed, trying to chase way the thought of the convention that was about to start. Instead she tried to recall the details she had been given about the guys she was about to meet. Dean and Sam Winchester, monster hunters or whatever they did for a living. Good-looking dudes, the shorter one a womanizer and the taller a nerd. She hoped that none of them tried to hit on her because that would have been quite annoying. Maybe she should immediately state clear and aloud that she wasn't interested in whatever had a male form. Or, perhaps, she could casually mention her lovely, imaginary girlfriend. She nodded to herself, satisfied by the idea. That would have solved a lot of problems.

She crossed the street, walking quickly towards the end of the town. Crowley had said that they would be on a case and heading towards a small town near Hot Springs. Her cover said that she was a journalist and that she was there to investigate about the strange accidents that had been happening there. She didn't know how the demon had made sure that the Winchesters would be on that road just in time to pick her up, but she had the feeling that it had something to do with her hacking that Taylor guy's email account.

Outside the small city there wasn't a pavement, so she was forced to walk in the grass next to the asphalt. She sank her hands in the pockets of her light brown coat and adjusted the weight of her rucksack on her shoulders. It was late afternoon and the air was starting to feel chilly. The sky was covered by huge grey clouds and she hoped that it didn't start to rain. She had left her umbrella at home. The fact of having to stand waiting without a shelter hadn't crossed her mind when she was packing up.

Luckily the petrol station came into view after a short time and Charlie felt relieved by the sight. She usually wasn't so susceptible, but her current mission was making her nervous. She had already lived more than one life, starting anew when things hadn't gone well as they should have, so playing a role was not what was bothering her. She just had a bad feeling about her whole business with Crowley. Technically, she still hadn't accepted to work with him, but on the other hand she was pretty sure that she couldn't just say "no" to the Devil without having to face unpleasant consequences. The way out she had created for herself was just an illusion, she was smart enough to see it. But it was nice to pretend that it was there.

A car passed past her and she caught a glimpse of four people chatting and singing together with the radio. Crowley had also told her that maybe the brothers wouldn't have been alone. He hadn't elaborated the information, but somewhere in her head a neon light saying "not human" had started to flash. She had been tempted to ask for a clarification, but the demon had already began to inform her of how she should behave with her targets and she had had to chase her questions away and listen to him. And now she had to wait and see what surprise the black Chevrolet would bring her. She could have bet that Crowley had omitted that detail on purpose, just to make everything more fun. Yeah, because if she could have her trial period, he had to get his dose of entertainment.

She reached the small open space in front of the petrol station and put down her rucksack before leaning against a pole. There she was. Now the only thing she had to do was waiting for the Winchesters and their possible inhuman companions. She shot a longing glance at the pretty cashier of the station. If she hadn't been a woman on the job she would have surely spent some time flirting with her. Too bad that she couldn't afford missing the Chevrolet. She sighed and pulled her mp3 player out. The music would keep her some company. She leant more against the wood and relaxed, her eyes never leaving the road, the notes bursting in her ears.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey there, everybody!

I'm so sorry for the delay. I've been having some problems lately and so no time and especially no inspiration to write. I'll try to be on time from now on, but I can't promise that I will for sure! I hope you'll enjoy the chapters (I'll be posting two since I didn't manage to post here last time) and that they will be worth the wait!

So, in this chapter we get to see what Castiel is doing, and also maybe start to get an idea of what's wrong with him, and Charlie will meet Gabriel and the boys (which means troubles xD).  
The goddess who's mentioned was the Celtic goddess of the paths, protector of the travelers. We don't know much about her since she is known from only two inscriptions. The first of these was found in Labin, Croatia and the second in Fiume, the Veneto region of Italy.

**Warnings**: This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.

**Summury:** AU for s06e22. Castiel, betraying his deal with Crowley, opens the Door of Purgatory to absorb the souls and gain the power to beat Raphael, but he is stopped by the last person he was expecting, Gabriel, who persuades him to give it up. However, before Cas can close the Door, something comes out and spreads on the Earth. So, the two angels find themselves in the position to fight a war against their own siblings and to have to deal with the Leviathans, whose leader seems to have ill intentions towards mankind.

The Winchesters are reluctantly forced to help, but the collaboration isn't going to be easy. Dean and Cas can't put aside their personal conflict and the angel decides to leave to try and find his lost faith, whose lack is quickly and inevitably consuming him. The brothers are left to fix the whole mess by themselves, together with the trickster archangel who has ambiguous intentions towards Sam and who is also busy dealing with his own issues.

In his behalf, Crowley finds an odd partner-in-crime in the brilliant IT employees Charlie Bradbury, but the results are not quite the ones he was expecting.

**Pairings:** Dean x Castiel, Sam x Gabriel, some Crowley x Bobby.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

Everything was still and perfectly silent. There wasn't even a breath of wind to move the endless sea of sand. No sound disturbed the quietness of the dunes. The moon shone in the sky, white and round, bathing the desert in her silver light. There was something otherworldly in the landscape, something magical and mysterious. Castiel stared at the sand, motionless as everything that was around him, his blue eyes shining even more than usual while reflecting the moonlight. He remembered watching over that country, millennia before. He had seen its civilisations raising and falling, destroying and creating, fighting and living. They had left behind them audacious and beautiful marks, such as the pyramids that were still standing some miles away from him, hidden to the sight by the hills of sand. That place held for him a bittersweet taste of nostalgia, bringing back to his mind memories from a time of peace and joy now irremediably lost.

The angel raised his gaze to the sky, watching the stars glowing fiercely in the dark of the space. He didn't know for how long he had been standing there in the freezing cold of the night, too lost in his contemplation to care about the passing time. His fading Grace failed to give him a precise answer, but it didn't matter. He had come there after speaking with Gabriel and had watched the sun setting behind the dunes.

He frowned remembering his older brother's worried expression. The archangel had always been awfully good at hiding whatever was going on in his mind, but in the last look they had exchanged he had clearly seen his concern. "Be careful", those golden eyes were saying, and then "Come back". It had been an awkward moment, but he couldn't blame Gabriel for that. After spending so many centuries playing the role of the Trickster it was natural that he still hadn't adapted to being an angel once again. His older sibling had never been good at keeping to the straight and narrow. He had been wondering why, among all his brothers and sisters, their Father had chosen the one who had gone pagan to help them, but in retrospect it made sense. Gabriel had been involved with the Winchesters for quite a long time and in the end he had chosen their side against his family, just as he himself had done. Besides, back then when they were still in Heaven together, he used to spend many hours with the archangel and, even if they hadn't really spoken in millennia, he couldn't help being glad to have him back on his side.

His thoughts went back to the discussion he had had with Dean and he closed his eyes, recalling the hunter's harsh words. He wished that he could find the answers he needed in that lonely place, but something was telling him than it wasn't the right place. Wherever his true destination was, it wasn't there among the quiet dunes, under that clear starry sky.

He turned around and started to walk, his feet sinking in the sand, heading towards nowhere in particular. The landscape around him seemed to never change, but he could see the small differences that would have gone unnoticed to human eyes. There was a silent melody playing in the air, an imperceptible sound that echoed all around him, making his Grace stir. He titled his head on one side, slightly confused by the strange emotion he was feeling, and stepped forwards in the direction from which the music seemed to be coming.

The silver moonlight hit him and drew his shadow on the sand. He lowered his eyes on it, stopping his tracks. From its back a pair of large folded wings sprouted, their tips brushing against the ground. Castiel carefully spread one of them and from its shadowed form a shower of feathers fell. He frowned. He could feel the light of each one leaving him, making him a little weaker. Soon flying would become a draining effort for him. He folded the wing back with the other one and started to follow the music once again.

He couldn't have said for how long he had walked. The moon had already started her descent when he caught the sight of a small light in the dark of the night. At a better look, it turned out to be a solitary tent with a nice fire crackling in front of it. A figure cloaked in blue was curled up near the flames and the angel could smell the scent of mint even from that distance. With little hesitation, he approached the tent and stopped only when he was standing on the other side of the campfire, in front of the mysterious woman. The latter raised her eyes towards him and spoke some soft Tuareg words, waving her cape in a welcoming gesture. Castiel sat down where he was showed and took the cup that the stranger offered him without a word.

They sat together in silence, staring at the dancing flames. The clay was burning against the angel's palms, but he wouldn't have noticed even if the heat could have actually affected him. The melody was still lingering in the air, stronger than before, and it made the atmosphere somehow holy, almost as if God's presence had left a trace in that solitary landscape. During his vain search for his Father, Castiel had wandered in many places where His essence was stronger than usual, but this time there was something different. He had never experienced such a comfort on Earth before.

He raised his eyes towards the sky once again, fixing them on the pale moon. He imagined staying in that place forever, that night stretching for all the time he had left to live. No more worries, no more burdens, no more guilt. Only the silence, the heat of the fire and the scent of desert tea. Peace for his mortally wounded soul. It would have been so easy to just let everything go and forget. To forget about the war, the Leviathans, about Hell and Heaven, monsters and angels. To forget his mission, his duty, sinking into a sweet oblivion, leaving behind the painful void in his chest, which once had been filled by his now lost faith.

Three dark presences invading the calm of the night brought him back to the present, breaking his fantasy. _Demons_. He got on his feet quickly, his eyes scanning the surroundings attentively until they stopped on three rapidly approaching figures. The cloaked woman didn't move at all and went on sipping her tea, calm and relaxed. Castiel shot her a curious glance, but decided to investigate later about that lack of reaction. He stepped forwards, positioning before the fire, so that he was shielding his host.

"Oh, look at what we have here!" One of the demons smirked, as they stopped a few step away from him. His black eyes stood out against the blond hair of his vessel. "Aren't you the little angel who has tried to fool Crowley? I bet he would be very grateful if we handed you over to him. Don't you agree?"

"You should try and catch me first" Castiel pointed out, unmoved by his threatening tone. "But I would heartily advise you against it if you care for your unworthy lives."

"Isn't he cute? He is trying to look scary!" Another one, a young woman, mocked cruelly. "Are you aware that you don't look too well, hun?"

The angel's stare became more intense at the comment. Was his poor state already that obvious? "I might not be in my best shape, but it's enough to beat some dregs of Hell like you" he stated, voice still emotionless.

He didn't give them the time to answer or react and one moment later he was right in front of the third demon, his fingers resting on his forehead. The hellish creature almost hadn't the time to scream while the angelic power invaded him, sending him straight back to the Pit and leaving behind his unconscious vessel. He turned around and attacked the blond. The latter grabbed his wrist, but he wasn't quick enough. A white flash ran through his body, throwing him on the ground. The demon groaned loudly, but then he raised his head, wounded but still there and alive.

"That's all you can do, little angel?" He teased, drying the blood that was falling from his eyes with a hand. "I'm not a wimp as that idiot was!"

Castiel looked at him, caught off guard, and the woman exploited his hesitation, jumping on him and gripping at his throat with both hands. Her long nail sank deep in his flesh, drawing out blood. He struggled against her, but she was stronger than he had anticipated. The other demon didn't waste the opportunity, throwing himself at him in turn. His fist crashed violently into his ribs, breaking the bones with a nasty crack, and then hit his jaw, splitting his lower lip.

"You are no longer boasting now, aren't you, angel?" The woman growled, tightening his grip on his neck even more and threatening to snap it. "Are you still persuaded that you'll beat us?"

"I am" he stated calmly. And he sank his angel blade into her chest.

The demon let out a surprised gasp and collapsed at his feet, eyes wide opened, her blood soaking the sand. The blond reacted immediately, jumping backwards, out of his reach, and shot him a glare full of hatred. The angel simply ignored it and stood erect, wielding his sword solemnly, feeling back in the role of the divine warrior. His eyes were shining intensively, blue flames in the night, brighter than the fire behind him. The demon growled, but took a step back, ready to flee, having understood that the battle was lost and that he had better run for his life. However, before he could do anything, Castiel appeared behind him and stabbed him, letting the blade sink until he reached the heart of the creature. The latter let out a terrible scream and fell on the ground near his companion, dead. The angel ran a hand on his coat, making the blood stains disappear and stared at the two corpses, a blank expression on his face.

"I'll take care of the bodies and of the survivor" a voice claimed gently from his right. "You don't need to worry about anything, Castiel, angel of the Lord."

Castiel turned to see the woman in blue now standing next to him, a soft smile on her ageless tanned face. She was no human, he should have noticed it sooner, and she was extremely gorgeous. "You seem to know me, but I have never met you before" he said slowly, titling his head. "Who are you?"

"The humans know me as Sentona. I'm the protector of travellers and of the ones who have lost their way" she explained quietly, her smile never fading. "And you have lost your path, haven't you, Castiel?"

"I've lost more than that, Sentona" he answered, lowering his eyes, almost ashamed. However, the feeling didn't burden him. For some obscure reason the woman's presence made him feel at ease as he had rarely been. The warmth with which she pronounced his name brought him comfort and hope. She was the one who made the atmosphere holy and serene, now he could see. His Father had nothing to do with it. "I am afraid that I have lost myself."

"It's alright, Castiel. There's nothing to be ashamed of. Only the ones who are brave enough to question their whole being risk losing themselves so completely. But they are also the only ones who have the strength to rise again from the abyss. That's why you have come to me. I'll be your guardian until you need me." She opened her arms, welcoming and gentle, and took a step towards him. "You have nothing to fear. I know how much your past and your mistakes pain you, I know your sorrow. And I want to offer you the peace you desire. You protected me from those demons without hesitation, so I owe you. You can stay, if you want. Forever. You can become one of my emissaries, a deity of lost paths. I'll give you new powers and you'll no longer have to worry about losing your Grace." She held out a hand for him. "I will wash your sins away and you'll be reborn, as pure as you used to be. But the choice is yours."

The angel stared at her stretched fingers, feeling the temptation to give in getting stronger and stronger. He longed for peace and forgiveness, for purity and love. It would have been as if he had gone back in time, when he still had a real family, when Heaven still felt like home. He reached out for her, but suddenly Dean's face and Gabriel's words came into his mind, breaking the illusion he was living. He stopped abruptly. It would be so easy, it would feel so good, but he couldn't just leave everything and "go pagan", to use his older brother's words. He had left to prove to himself and to his friends that he could still be trusted, that he was still worth their affection. He couldn't fail them again nor could he leave them to take care of the consequences of his mistakes. He lowered his arm and shook his head.

"I thank you for your kind offer, Sentona, but I can't accept. What you are ready to give me is something I strongly desired, but I can't take it. I'm sorry. Because all I really long for is finding where I belong. And I know that it's not by your side" he spoke quietly, watching the goddess lowering her hand. The warmth around them didn't falter, on the contrary it got more comforting, encouraging. "If I gave up, my deaths, my falls, my fights and my sorrow, everything I have done would be in vain. Besides, there is someone waiting for me and I have sworn to them and to myself that I would have come back."

Sentona's smile grew wider. "I understand. That's a brave choice, Castiel, it suits the warrior you have never ceased to be" she praised in her soft, musical tone. She stepped forward again, until she was right in front of him, and laid her hands on his chest. "Stay here until dawn. Let me heal you before you leave and rest. This search you have undertaken will require all your energy and powers. But when you feel desperate, don't give up. Remind yourself why this is important and keep going."

"I will. I promise" he replied burying his eyes in hers. Her irises glowed of a silvery light, similar to the moon's one. He could feel the pleasant heat of her hand silently healing his broken bones. Her fingertips moved to his broken lips in a gentle caress, washing away the blood and repairing the skin.

She nodded, satisfied, and moved away. "Good. Now, come and sit with me. Your tea is getting cold."

He obeyed and they sat once again before the fire, without speaking. Castiel took his cup in his hands once again, finding that it was still hot as when he had left it, and watched the silver moon walk through her orbit in the lightening sky. When the sun had finally set, he got up, leaving his empty cup next to the goddess. She looked up and they stared at each other for a long, intense moment, then the angel straightened his posture and one moment later he was gone in a flap of wings.

Sentona stretched out a hand and grabbed one of the feathers that her guest had left behind. It was burning and seemed made of light. She threw it in her fire that suddenly lit up, the flames changing from red to light blue. "I'll pray the gods for you, Castiel" she whispered, her silver eyes lost in the dancing light. "I hope that you will succeed and that we will meet again in happier circumstances."

** ж**

"I'm bored" Gabriel whined for the umpteenth time. "Remind me why won't you let me just fly you there?"

"Because there's no way I'm leaving my baby alone and because I hate your angel zapping!" Dean almost growled, throwing him a murderous look. "Can't you just shut the fuck up? I'm fed up with your complains!"

"But I'm bored!"

"I don't care! And make all those scrap papers disappear! Damn, how many sweets can you eat in one hour?!"

Sam sighed quietly, but said nothing. He had no intention of joining that argument, no sane person would. By now he'd almost admitted to himself that _maybe_ the porn was better. At least it had kept the other two busy, even if it had meant hearing the most mortifying comments. Once the video had ended, Gabriel had been quiet for about fifteen minutes before starting to repeat that all that time spent in the car was useless and boring. Dean had tried to explain him what it meant to them, showing himself to be surprisingly patient at first, but when the archangel had gone on whining the older hunter had given up any pretence of good manners and had started to yell at him in turn. It had worked for some time, because the shorter man had retreated in the back seat, sulking and busying himself with a huge amount of candies, but apparently the truce was over.

"Hey, Sam, why don't you let that pain in the ass of your brother drive?" Gabriel asked without a warning. "You surely can entertain me much better that this annoying monkey!"

"If you think that I'll let you touch _my _brother in _my _car, you are very, very _wrong_! And very, very _dead_!" Dean threatened immediately, turning around to face the archangel, who was sprawled on the seat. "Got it?"

"I wasn't thinking about sex, actually. I am more in a talking mood right now. But, now that you have mentioned it, some physical activity could be a good idea as well" the other smirked mockingly, clearly enjoying teasing the young man. "Thanks, Deano! I'm sure that your little brother will enjoy another shot of amazing archangel's Grace!"

"He will _not_! I won't let you exploit his easy addiction to supernatural substances!" the older hunter snarled, pointing his gun at the archangel. "Keep your appendages away from Sammy!"

"Hey, I'm right here, you know?" the younger Winchester interjected, rolling his eyes and shooting his companions a nasty glare. His brother's comment on his supposed "easy addiction" had been the last straw. "Stop talking about me as if I wasn't here! It's annoying! Listen, we'll arrive to a petrol station in about two minutes. Once there I'll let you, Dean, drive and I'll _talk_ with you, Gabriel. So you both will be busy and my poor head won't explode. I had enough shit when I was in that damned Cage with Lucifer and after my wall broke. So, please, just stop. We'll do as I said. Deal?"

The other two didn't look too happy about his suggestion, but none of them objected. Sam didn't like using his still fresh trauma as a tool to obtain what he wanted, but he had stated the truth. After all the screams, the manic laughter and the Devil's endless chatting he wished he could have a bit of quietness. At least when he wasn't fighting monsters or angels.

He tried to focus on the road once again, hoping that the renewed silence would put his mind at rest, but he found out that he couldn't chase away the thought of the Cage now that he had brought it up. Remembering didn't hurt like before and he no longer felt the deadly anguish he had experienced during his coma, but it was still disturbing. The side effects of Gabriel's Grace had almost disappeared and he was now aware of how disturbing those memories were, even if they were no longer a real threat for his mental health. He would have nightmares for weeks, maybe for months, like it had happened after Jessica's death. His only reassurance was that eventually they would stop. They had more important problems to face right now, and he couldn't allow his companions to waste time and energies for him. It wouldn't be easy or pleasant, but he could manage. He _had_ to.

"Sam, are you alright?" Dean asked, bringing him back to the present.

"Yeah, I'm fine" he nodded quickly. It wasn't exactly the truth, but for once it was close enough. He could feel the archangel's eyes on him and he didn't dare to look at him, fearing that he could read what he had been thinking and reveal it. The petrol station came into view right in that moment, giving him the chance to change the subject. "Here we are. We should gas up the car while we have the chance."

His brother nodded in agreement and he drove into the square where the pumps were located. The Winchesters got out of the car to take care of the petrol, while Gabriel didn't bother to leave his comfortable place in the back seat. Dean kept shooting inquiring looks at Sam, not convinced by his previous answer, but the other pretended not to notice them and for once he didn't press further on the matter. The younger felt grateful for it and he hoped that it was the sign that his sibling was starting to trust him again. They did everything almost without speaking and then went back to the vehicle, walking closely side by side. Sam hid a smile. The elder's protective behaviour at times was annoying and exaggerated, but he had to admit to himself that it made him feel good in spite of everything. Dean's care for him, for whom he considered family, was comforting and made him feel somehow safer.

"Hey! Excuse me!" a female voice called from behind them, breaking the trail of his thoughts.

The two hunters turned around and saw a woman around their age approaching them quickly. Her long red hair was tied in a ponytail and she kept her hands in the pockets of her jacket, to shield them from the cold. The stranger reached them and offered an awkward smile. She didn't seem much at ease.

"Uh, I was wondering if you could give me a ride" she said after a moment of silence, clearing her throat. "I'm heading to Mountain Pine. I need to get there today or my boss will kill me."

"Mountain Pine?" Sam repeated, smiling back encouragingly. "We are heading there too. So I guess there's no problem if you ride with us."

"Yeah, I agree. You can come" Dean agreed, nodding. "We don't want your boss to kick that nice ass!" He offered her a small seductive grin. "By the way, I'm Dean and this is my little brother Sam. And that idiot in the car" he pointed Gabriel, who was now waving in their direction "is Gabriel. We are journalists. We work for a newspaper in Little Rock. Nice to meet you."

"Really? What a coincidence…I'm a journalist too! I work for a small press in Hot Spring" Charlie beamed, relaxing a bit. They all were playing a role and she couldn't help finding it amusing. She glanced at the blond man in the car and waved back at him, wondering briefly what he could be. She shook the brothers' hands. "I'm Charlene, by the way. But everybody calls me Charlie. Nice to meet you too, Dean and Sam. And…Gabriel, right?"

"Yeah. Come on, we should go. We still have some hours of driving before arriving" the younger hunter said, gesturing towards the car. "Charlie, it's better if you ride on the passenger seat, if you don't mind. At times Gabriel is a bit…_improper_."

Dean made a face, clearly not liking the idea of the archangel and his brother sitting together, but for Sam's sake for once didn't comment, while the woman nodded and said: "Alright, I have no problem with that."

The three reached the car and Dean started the vehicle as soon as Charlene had slipped into the passenger seat. Meanwhile the younger Winchester had pushed Gabriel away to gain some more space in the back only to have the archangel smirk at him and lay down once again, his head in the human's lap. The latter glared at him, caught a bit off guard and annoyed, but he didn't do anything to make him move. Mostly it was because he knew that the angel wouldn't let him push him away, no matter what he had done, but a part of him, which he was doing his best to ignore, found the closeness pleasant. Gabriel's warmth reminded him of the sensation of the Grace sinking into his flesh and helped him chasing away the bad memories.

Dean rolled his eyes at the sight, but pretended not to have noticed, while the young woman shot a curious glance at them through the rear-view mirror. A small grin opened on her lips and she turned to face the two. Maybe she wasn't the only one to have alternative tastes.

"Is he your boyfriend, Sam?" she asked nonchalantly and a bit amused, looking meaningfully at their current position.

"No" Dean immediately stated right in the same moment when Gabriel said "Yes."

The woman let her eyes wander among the three while a knowing smirk appeared on her face. "Let me guess!" she said cheerfully. "You two have just started dating and Dean here is playing the role of the jealous overprotective big brother. That's it, isn't it?"

The older hunter let out a snort, but Sam spoke before his brother could open his mouth and say that the archangel had take advantage of him: "Yeah, it's something like that. I mean, we are not actually _dating_. It's complicated." He shot a look at Gabriel, who stared back but remained silent, a small grin lingering on his lips. He wondered for a moment what the other was thinking, before turning his attention back to his speaker once again. "We are trying to figure out how the things work between us."

"Oh, I see" Charlene nodded. "You know, I think that it is one of the best parts of a relationship." She chuckled. "You need to get to know the other and so there are a lot of dates and especially a lot of crazy _sex_."

Dean almost choked on air at that, while the younger hunter felt his face becoming hot and he fervently hoped that his cheeks hadn't become red. Gabriel's smirk widened and he clapped his hands, clearly approving. "Oh, girl, I like the way you think. Really, really much" he commented, looking almost impressed. "Wanna date me too? I'm sure that Sammy won't mind since we are not official yet!"

Sam muttered something under his breath that sounded like "Why me?" and "Don't call me Sammy", while the young woman laughed and shook her head. "I'm glad we agree on that point and I'm flattered, but I'm sorry, Gabriel. I don't swing that way."

"Ah, what a pity. It would have been fun" the archangel said with a shrug. "If you ever change your mind and decide to give men a try, call me! But I'll understand if you never do. Who in this car doesn't appreciate hot talented flexible girls after all?"

"Well said" Charlie approved with a nod. She was enthusiastic of how the things were going. She was already starting to like those guys and she hoped that Crowley hadn't something too nasty ready for them. "I have all the numbers of Busty Asian Beauties…And I'll be really glad if one of those women was the death of me!"

Gabriel's eyes lit up in amusement at that and he smiled widely at her. "For Father's sake, I madly love you, Charlene. Best girl of the planet! I should have more lesbian friends."

"I hate to say it" Dean interjected, looking at their guest with a smug grin. "But for once I totally agree with you, Gabriel. This girl rocks!"

Charlene let out another laugh, shaking her head. "Well, it seems that I have been luckier than I thought. I ended up in a car with great guys with my same good tastes!"

Sam closed his eyes and let his head fall on the edge of the seat, suddenly wishing that Castiel was with them. At least he wouldn't have been the only one to suffer there. He wasn't ready for another conversation about sex and strange kinks. The one he had heard earlier had been enough. He wished he had his laptop with him so that he could distract himself working on the case, but it was back in the trunk, together with the articles that Bobby had given them.

Gabriel stirred against him and he instinctively lowered his eyes on him. The archangel was looking at him not even trying to hide his amusement and showing him that he exactly know what was going in his mind. The young man snorted, lifting his eyes, and gave the other's shoulder a small push. Gabriel grabbed his wrist before he could retreat his arm and shoved his hand in his own hair, looking at him expectantly. The hunter raised an eyebrow and mouthed "_Really_?", receiving a more intense look in response. He sighed, shaking his head, but let his fingers sank in the shorter man's hair, gently rubbing his skull. He thanked God for the fact that Dean was too busy discussing with Charlene to notice what he was doing and tried hard not to think about it in turn, and especially to ignore the fact that the archangel had started to _purr_ against his leg. If he was almost sure that he could handle the nightmares and the bad memories, he didn't know if he could manage whatever was going on between him and Gabriel. He suppressed a groan. The universe had to really hate him.

** ж**

Charlene let her rucksack fall on the bed before heading towards the bathroom. She needed a shower, or even better, a long bath. It had been a while since the last time she had taken one. The hotel room wasn't the best place she had been in, but at least it was clean and it had a bathtub that seemed usable. She could give it a try.

She left the hot water flowing and went back in the bedroom to pick up some clean clothes and to take off the ones she was wearing. She had an hour and half to spend before meeting the guys in the hall. They had checked in the same motel and had decided to have dinner together. She smiled at the though. The ride had been fun, she had quite enjoyed it. She and Dean had got along very quickly, something that hadn't happened to her in a while. He was good at joking and his sharp sarcasm had caught her attention. Besides, he seemed to be the sincere, rough but caring type and she didn't mind it. Sam was quieter than his brother, but she had got to know that he was smart and that he liked computers, so they had something important in common. Gabriel was weird, but not in a negative way. At first sight he seemed to be an out-going guy, the people person type, but she had the feeling that part of it was just a well built facade. He was intriguing, especially since she was almost sure that he was not human. She wondered if she would ever find out what he really was.

Charlie wrapped herself in a bathrobe and grabbed her mobile phone. Crowley had told her to call him once she had got some information about the Winchester and so she dialled his number, even if not without a bit of reluctance. The phone rang a couple of time before she got an answer.

"Good evening, Charlene!" the demon's voice welcomed her cheerfully. "So, have you met my boys? Interesting guys, aren't they?"

"Hello, Crowley" she greeted with much less enthusiasm. "Yeah, I'm staying in their same hotel and I'm eating with them tonight. They are here for the mysterious accidents, but I guess you already know this, don't you?"

"Of course I know. I sent them there thanks to your hacking abilities" Crowley answered and she could hear his smirk in his words. "They are monsters hunters, I told you. There's something in that town, something quite bad, so be careful, my dear. But I'm sure that the Winchesters will keep you safe. Just stick around and try to find out which is their real goal."

"This whole thing has something to do with the Leviathans, hasn't it?" she asked, ignoring the light shiver at the mention of the _thing_. She had never been a fan of real monsters. "They hunt monsters. Leviathans are big bad monsters. So, Dean and Sam must be involved."

"Have I already told you how much I appreciate your intelligence? You'd make a wonderful demon, Charlie dear" the King of Hell sang, apparently pleased, but there was a dark note in his tone. "Yes, they are after the Leviathans. But I need to know what they are exactly planning to do to fight them."

"It wasn't so difficult to guess" she answered carefully, trying to sound not impressed. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't read the other's real intentions. It was as if there was a second meaning hidden in every word he spoke and she found it disquieting. "I'll find a way to get to know something about that. Oh, they are travelling with another guy. Name's Gabriel. But he is not human, isn't he?"

"Gabriel? Just him? Didn't they mention someone called Castiel?" the demon asked, ignoring her last statement. "That's strange. I had expected the little one to stick with them…"

She raised an eyebrow. She could picture her speaker frowning at the news. "No, never. Who's this Castiel?" she asked. "Another one of their supernatural friends?"

"Yeah. He used to be Dean's best buddy, but recently they had a…nasty argument, if we can call it like that. And so it seems that our Cas has wandered off on his own. Not so bad. I'll take care of him." Crowley kept quiet for a moment. "Anyway, be careful around that Gabriel guy, Charlene. He is really powerful."

"Won't you tell me what he is?" she pushed again, but she already knew that she was wasting her breath.

"No, it's better if you don't know, or you wouldn't be able to look at him in the same way you do now" the Devil answered firmly. It sounded like an order. "And we don't want to blow up your cover, do we? He won't hurt you if you are not perceived as a threat, so relax."

The woman bit back a bitter comment and sat down on the edge of the bathtub. "Alright. As you wish, Crowley. But this is not over" she said instead, trying to sound determinate. "I don't like this. I'm risking my life for you, so I think that I deserve at least to know whom I am dealing with. But for now it's fine."

"Good girl" the demon praised, but the dark note was back in his voice. "I have to leave you know, my presence is required elsewhere. Call me if you find anything else. Or if you are in need of something. Have a nice evening."

"Yeah, you too."

She ended the call with a sigh and put the phone on the sink. That damn bastard. He had all the power in his hands and he knew it. She turned the water off and stripped before entering the full bathtub. The feeling of the hot water against her skin was pleasant and she decided that Crowley didn't deserve to ruin her mood. She would do as he had said and had a nice evening with the boys. Who knew, maybe that mission would bring her some nice surprises.


	6. Chapter 6

And here goes the second chapter of this week!

**Warnings**: This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.

**Summury:** AU for s06e22. Castiel, betraying his deal with Crowley, opens the Door of Purgatory to absorb the souls and gain the power to beat Raphael, but he is stopped by the last person he was expecting, Gabriel, who persuades him to give it up. However, before Cas can close the Door, something comes out and spreads on the Earth. So, the two angels find themselves in the position to fight a war against their own siblings and to have to deal with the Leviathans, whose leader seems to have ill intentions towards mankind.

The Winchesters are reluctantly forced to help, but the collaboration isn't going to be easy. Dean and Cas can't put aside their personal conflict and the angel decides to leave to try and find his lost faith, whose lack is quickly and inevitably consuming him. The brothers are left to fix the whole mess by themselves, together with the trickster archangel who has ambiguous intentions towards Sam and who is also busy dealing with his own issues.

In his behalf, Crowley finds an odd partner-in-crime in the brilliant IT employees Charlie Bradbury, but the results are not quite the ones he was expecting.

**Pairings:** Dean x Castiel, Sam x Gabriel, some Crowley x Bobby.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

Sam shut his laptop with a sigh and leant back against the chair, stretching his numb limbs. Sometimes being so tall was uncomfortable. The tables were always a bit too short for him and so were the seats. He glanced again at the clock and then at his brother who was busy cleaning their arsenal on one of the two beds. Gabriel had left as soon as they had reached the room, saying that he needed to wander off for some business, adding that he would meet them at the diner for dinner later. The younger hunter had raised an eyebrow, not convinced at all, but he hadn't pressed the matter and had stepped into the bathroom to take a shower. Most likely the archangel needed to find something fun to do to unload the huge amount of energy that was stored in his body and he decided that it was better if he did it far away from them. The last thing they needed was to attract unwanted attention.

Sam sighed and shook his head, getting up. "Dean" he called. "It's almost time to meet Charlene."

"Yeah, sure. Give me a minute" Dean answered, starting to put the weapons back in their bag. "Did you find anything interesting?"

The younger shook his head. "Not much. Just some more details about the accidents, but nothing really useful" he explained sitting down on his bed. "No references to something supernatural happening, not even some stupid ghost story. This place is the most normal town of the world. Or, at least, it was."

"Well, it will go back to be its old boring self soon, because we are going to find whatever damned thing is causing this mess and kick its ass" the elder stated firmly. "Maybe that idiotic archangel of yours will prove himself useful for once and will help us figure out what's going on here."

"He is not _my _archangel!" Sam protested, exasperated. "For God's sake, Dean! I've already told you to stop. It was just a stupid ritual, nothing more. Let it be, please."

Dean snorted. "Yeah, just a ritual. But you don't seem to be so disturbed by the fact that it has involved a Trickster fucking you!"

The younger closed his eyes for a moment and bit his lips, to hold back a bitter answer. He wanted to tell his brother to mind his business and to leave his own alone. After all he wasn't the one who usually spent whole minutes staring at an angel who was always in his personal space. But mentioning Castiel wasn't the best thing to do. The other was still upset about the whole issue and he didn't want to make it worse. He, unlike his sibling, was able to show some touch. "Can you just tell me what your problem is?" he asked instead, trying to keep his voice calm. "I am the one who slept with Gabriel, not you. I can understand that the thing can be weird for you, it is for me too. However, I don't think that fussing over it will help, so I just decided that it was better to let it be. It's done and gone. My mind is almost sane once again and we have an archangel on our side. That's all."

The elder kept quiet for a moment, turning his gun in his hands. "What troubles me is the fact that now you seem to be suddenly fond of that bastard. Have you forgotten what he had done to us? Or has the sex brainwashed you?" he said in the end. He didn't like the relationship that was growing between his sibling and the Trickster. He didn't trust the latter, especially not near his brother. He couldn't help expecting some kind of bad joke from him, even if a part of him kept on telling him that Gabriel really wanted to help them this time. Besides, there was another feeling lingering in his gut every time he saw the other two together. They reminded him of the closeness that he and Cas used to share. He would never admit it, not even to himself, but he was _jealous_. And, in spite of everything, he missed his own personal angel. Castiel had said it himself once. They shared a more profound bond, a special connection. "He tried to force us to say yes to those motherfuckers and killed me a hundred times! You have never liked him, apart from when we first met him and we thought he was an ordinary janitor. I don't understand why so suddenly you let him not only having his way with you without too much complain, because that I can understand, we needed to fix you, but…You are _friendly_ with him. You take care of his whims and you let him into your personal space too much for my likings. And you seem to enjoy it, even if it annoys you too. Would you mind telling me what's going on, Sam?"

"I haven't forgotten what he did to us. And I hadn't forgiven him. I was the one who had to watch you die over and over again! You don't even remember it happening! And I still haven't digested the whole thing about the genital herpes either." He glared at the other seeing him smirking at that. It hadn't been funny at all. "But I can't forget that he's protected us from the pagan gods and challenged Lucifer. He _died_ to let us and Kali escape from that damned hotel, Dean. I can't ignore it. He is not the best person in the world, he is one of the biggest assholes I have ever met, but he chose our side in the end. He stood up against his own kind. And I feel I owe him. He healed me. And…" He hesitated for a moment. He wasn't sure about what he was about to say and he didn't want Dean to misunderstand his words, especially since he himself didn't know exactly what they meant. He looked away from his speaker. "I enjoyed talking with him the first time we met him, before finding out that he was what we were hunting. He can be a nice fellow from time to time. I…I sort of like him. And he likes me too, he told me before we…" He waved a hand, eyes still fixed on the floor. "It was nice to hear it. He cares, Dean. About me, about Cas, and about you too. Even if he acts like the dick he is."

Dean stared at him for a while, even if he refused to meet his eyes. In the end he shook his head and sighed, letting out a noise that was both exasperated and amused. "I can't believe that this day has come. You, the one that once was all "I want to become a lawyer and marry a pretty girl and forget about the monsters", have a crush on a fucking and very _male _angelic Trickster" he commented, sounding oddly impressed. "That's a huge surprise, Sammy. Really. If they had told me that this was going to happen two days ago I would have laughed in their face and then shot them! You never cease to amaze me, little brother!"

Sam shot him a murderous glare. That was the kind of comment he had feared to hear. "I don't have a crush on Gabriel" he talked back, his voice firmer than he really felt about the matter. "I don't like him in that way. He is a valuable ally. That's all. Maybe one day we will be friends too, who knows. But that's all."

The older hunter held his gaze with his same determination. "Yeah, go on telling that to yourself while you spent an entire ride cuddling with him. Yeah, I saw that. I'm not that blind" he mocked, crossing his arms. Then he turned a bit more serious. "Listen, Sammy. We have already had this conversation. I don't approve of your…_affiliation_ with that fucker, but you are an adult now and it's no longer my place to tell you with who you can and can't hang out. You'll never have my blessing, but if you like him…Well, suit yourself. Your problem. At least until he hurts you. Then it will become my problem too."

"I…I don't…" the younger Winchester started to say, but stopped almost immediately and sighed. "God, I don't fucking know what's going on with that idiot" he admitted shaking his head, almost ashamed. "He says something and then acts in the opposite way. I can't bring myself to trust him completely. Not yet. And I'm still pissed with him. But…I can't say no to him. After…Uh…after the ritual, something changed between us. Maybe it's because I've been filled with his Grace, I don't know, but it is there. I tried to ignore this feeling…But I just can't. Not when he is around."

Dean rolled his eyes, muttering something that sounded like. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation" and then cleared his throat, feeling not less uncomfortable than his brother. "Ok. Let's do this. If Gabriel was a chick, a very _human_ chick, what would you think about this whole situation?"

"I can't picture Gabriel as a human woman!" the other protested, looking at him as if he had gone mad. "And I don't see the point of this foreplay."

"Make an effort and answer the damned question, Sam. I'm trying to be a good and patient brother for once, even if I'd like to tell you to go and fuck yourself and your issues. I don't like to play the psychologist, so don't push me."

"Fine, fine. No need to get upset." Sam raised his hands in surrender and forced himself to do as his sibling had told him. "Well…I guess I would conclude that I like her, even if she is fucking annoying."

"Very well. What would you do?"

"Try to understand if I can have a chance with her. Spend some time with her to work out my real feelings. And…" The younger hunter looked away. "Ask for more sex meanwhile."

"You could have omitted the last thing" the elder groaned with displeasure. "Anyway, here is your answer. You _do _have a crush on him. Do what you just said. But if you two have sex again, I don't want to know, alright? Oh, and don't make me have a conversation like this never ever again! Especially about some supernatural guy."

"I…I…Thanks, Dean" the other stuttered, not knowing what to say. Then, after a moment of silence, he added: "God. It has been so awkward."

"Yeah, fucking awkward" Dean agreed nodding. "That's why I don't want it to happen again."

"But, Dean…Are you really alright with this?" the younger Winchester asked again. "I don't want this…_thing_ to create even more tension between us. I…I'd choose you over him, if I had to. I mean, family always comes first, right?"

His brother sighed. "Yeah, that's it. And no, I'm not alright with this thing but…If we survive a Leviathans invasion and a heavenly war, I guess we deserve a reward. They gave us nothing but crap for stopping the Apocalypse, so this time it's better if we take something for ourselves while we can. And if you are so stupid to let that bastard make you happy, well, stay with him. After all, there is no way out of this life and forget what's hiding in the shadows. I tried to leave it all behind. It didn't work. The hunt will always be our job. So it's better if we share our existence with someone who can take it."

"Meaning another hunter…or a creature that is on our side" Sam concluded for him. He reached forward to lay a hand on the other's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Dean. I really wanted your way out to work. But you are right. The hunt is family business, it's in our blood. We can't just pretend that all we have been through didn't happen. It scarred us. Indelibly."

Their eyes met, getting lost in each other for an intense moment, and the older Winchester nodded, pushing him away. "Fine, fine. This was one of the most horrible and longest chick flick moments we have ever had and I'm already totally disgusted with myself, so please let's stop" he claimed, standing up. "Come on, let's go. I'm hungry and I really need a drink after this. Maybe more than one."

"Yeah, me too. And Charlene is surely waiting for us by now."

They got out of the room and headed towards the hall, chatting about everything and nothing. Dean teased Sam about the fact that he used a conditioner to wash his hair and that it was another proof that he was a giant girl, receiving a hard shove as an answer. A maid who had been passing by in that moment gave them a weird look and mumbled something in Portuguese, shaking her head. The younger glared at his brother, in a silent threat that however didn't affect Dean's amused smirk, and they hurried up to leave the motel.

** ж**

Gabriel shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he walked along the main road of the small town. He would have just flown to the diner if it had been just him and the Winchesters, but with the Charlie girl present he couldn't risk as he usually did around the boys. Or rather, he would have, since his Trickster side was begging him to play some prank on their new friend, but he had promised Sam that he would try to behave. He rolled his eyes, annoyed. He was keeping a promise he had made to a human. He should be ashamed of himself. Playing the archangel again really sucked. Maybe not as much as it had when he had been forced to fight Lucifer, but still quite a lot. And so did being around the younger hunter. He was starting to find saying no to him harder and harder. He had always being inclined to comply with his requests, in the end at least, like the time when he had stuck the brothers in that time loop. But now it was getting worse. He shouldn't have admitted to have a soft spot on him. The bastard was exploiting that knowledge without giving him something in exchange. Maybe he should start asking a reward every time he did as he was told. He smirked, amused by the thought. That could work. And especially his gigantic kiddo wouldn't be so happy about it.

He looked up at the sky. Speaking about idiots, he wondered what his younger brother was doing. If he made an effort he could still sense the stains of the other's fading Grace, but they were getting weaker and weaker. He frowned. If Castiel had stayed with them he could have recharged him with his own powers, even if it would have been just a temporary solution. But his younger sibling had insisted in wandering off by himself, in a crazy search for his own essence. Which made sense, but wasn't the most intelligent thing to do with an ongoing war and dangerous enemies hunting him. The temptation to go to him and drag him back was strong, but at the same time he knew he couldn't. Castiel could nothing against his powers, not even when he was in his best shape, but he would have never forgiven him if he had forced him to abandon his search. The last thing they needed was a brothers' spat inside their small team and so he felt obliged to respect the other angel's wishes. Which didn't mean that he was alright with them and didn't keep him from regularly checking the state of his Grace.

He let those thoughts go as he realised that he had almost reached his destination. His three companions were standing next to the entrance, chatting about everything and nothing, and he quickened his path to reach them, painting one of his usual smirks on his lips. He had no intention to show that he was concerned because the two hunters would force him to explain the reason of his worries, with the result of rough, manly Deano freaking out at the news that his angelic best buddy could die alone in a fucking hole and little Sammy fussing over his older brother. He had no patience left for that.

"Heya there, guys!" he greeted in an extremely cheerful tone when he was a few step away from the three. "Missed me?"

"I was starting to think that you wouldn't show up" Dean answered, voice dripping sarcasm. "And you can't imagine how much happy that thought was making me!"

"Love ya too, kiddo" he talked back with the same tone, gaining a snarl. He wondered how much pissed the older hunter was about the fact that he had slept with his beloved baby brother. He didn't sense so much more hatred than before. Maybe Dean was just behaving because he felt guilty about Castiel leaving. Or perhaps he didn't mind him and Sam as much as he claimed. He mentally shrugged at the thought and turned his attention on Charlene. "Heya, miss! You are gorgeous tonight" he teased gently, taking her hand and kissing it playfully. "How is my favourite girl? Nice shitty rooms we have got, don't you agree?"

"I've seen worse places" she said freeing her fingers from his grip, but she nodded in agreement. Then she glared murderously at him. "And, Gabriel, you have better not treat me like a damsel. I'm one of the knights, got it? You should kiss your soon-to-be boyfriend, not me! Sam must be a saint to bear with you!"

The archangel snorted in amusement. "He likes me as I am" he claimed turning towards Sam for the first time and offering him a huge grin. "And, besides, I prefer to greet my boy in another way! Pecks are overrated." And, before the younger Winchester could do anything to stop him, his hand landed on the human's butt, squeezing it. "Don't you agree, Sammy?"

"_Gabriel_!" Sam half yelped and half growled, caught off guard, while Dean stared at the shorter man with an expression that seemed to be saying "Your life end now, son of a bitch!"

Charlie sniggered openly and Gabriel shrugged, slapping Sam's ass nonchalantly before removing his hand. "He doesn't…_yet_" he commented gaining another chuckle by the woman and another glare from the brothers. He knew he shouldn't push his luck so much, but it was too fun. And, besides, he loved risk when it didn't threaten his health. "What a pity!"

"Let's go inside" the younger Winchester muttered, sounding quite unhappy, and without waiting for an answer crossed the threshold, followed by his sibling. Charlene and the archangel exchanged an amused look and went after them.

Sam let himself fall on the seat that the waitress showed them, sighing. Damned angel, he always found a way to embarrass and humiliate him. No one had told him that he had to play the part of the boyfriend, but apparently the shorter man had thought that it would be entertaining to do so, especially considering their recent activities. The conversation he had had with Dean at the hotel came back in his mind. Why did he have to have a crush on that asshole? His brother had said that he could do whatever he wanted about it, but he wasn't even sure that something could be done about it even if he had wanted to. This was Gabriel, after all. He tricked, played, joked to the point that you could never be sure of where the truth was. He knew the other had had some infatuations in the past, serious ones if he considered what had happened with Kali. He still cared a lot about her even after all that time. But their relationship had been focused mostly on sex and physical attraction, even if the affection was there. And that was not what he looked for in a relationship. He wanted commitment and seriousness, both traits that the archangel didn't usually show. He had admitted to care about him and had shown true concern about Castiel, but it wasn't enough. Maybe it meant that they would become friends, even best buddies since the other mostly focused on him other than on Dean, but nothing more.

He lost the trail of his thoughts as he saw the older hunter sitting down in front of him instead of next to him as he had anticipated. He frowned at his brother, who shrugged in answer and turned towards Charlene who had slipped next to him. Sam looked at the empty space next to him, as his mind proceeded the meaning of that all. He looked up to see Gabriel grinning at him and one moment later the archangel's tight was pressed against his. He quickly turned his eyes on his sibling once again, his gaze shouting "What the fuck?!" The other hunter raised his eyebrow as if he was saying "He is your crush, Sammy, deal with it" and making him frown even more deeply.

Gabriel watched that silent dialogue with interest and a bit of wonder. Maybe the brothers didn't realise it, but they had developed their personal way to communicate and the easiness with which they understood each other's expressions and looks was intriguing. He had never shared such a deep bond with anyone since he had left Heaven. It reminded him of the way in which once he used to be bound to his brothers and sisters. He wondered if he and Castiel could go back doing it, once fixed all that mess. Not without surprise he realised that he wished they would.

He grabbed one of the menus and quickly scanned the list of foods, settling almost immediately on the sweets. He wasn't very fond of the other kind of things that humans usually ate and he had no intention to eat them just to play a role. He'd take something from Sam's plate and then he would eat a couple of slices of cake.

The others ordered and he received some weird looks from them as he said that he would just take the desert later, but no comments were made about it. The conversation started revolving about small nothings, like Charlie's job and the brothers' fake occupation. Then Sam and Dean started to slowly interrogate the woman to see if she knew something more about the whole situation, but it turned out that she had less information than them. Gabriel followed the conversation distractedly, his attention focused on tracking down Castiel's Grace, but without success.

Once they had finished with their dinner, Charlie excused herself and headed towards the bathroom, leaving the three of them alone for the first time. Dean turned immediately towards the archangel, who raised an eyebrow at him, hoping that he wasn't going to scold him for having fondled his baby brother's butt.

"Tell me you haven't spent the last few hours making troubles and that you have something for us" the hunter said instead, looking serious and concentrated.

The archangel leant back against the chair. So it was about work. "It's not an angel. Whatever you are hunting is not from Heaven. I've checked the whole area and my dear siblings are not around" he answered. Then his expression darkened. "Not anymore."

"Gabriel…" Sam started, sounded worried. "Did you…?"

"Yeah, I had another little fight with some of Raphie's minions, but it's all fixed" he interrupted firmly but gently. "Don't worry, gigantor, I didn't kill anybody. I just sent them back home."

The younger seemed to be about to talk back, but then decided against it and nodded, laying a hand on the archangel's shoulder and squeezing. He knew well how much the other hated fighting his family. It had been the real reason why he had tried so hard to make them say yes. After the battle between Michael and Lucifer, no matter who would have won, there would have been peace, at least for the angels. Having Gabriel stand up against Lucifer and thus risking an even worse war in his opinion made up for everything the Trickster had done to them. And now he was there, fighting his siblings once again, just for their and Cas's sake.

"Is it a demon?" Dean asked again, ignoring the exchange. "Or something else?"

"I have no idea, kiddo" the Trickster said with a grin. "That's your job, not mine. I'm here to keep you safe from Raphie and for the Leviathans. Nothing else. Unless you are asking for my assistance."

"We can manage by our own" the older hunter immediately said, glaring at him. "I was just wondering if you had sensed something."

Gabriel's smirk grew bigger. "Maybe" he sang quietly, clearly amused. His fingers moved quickly to cover Sam's hand that was still lingering on his shoulder, preventing him to pull away. "Who knows?"

"Ah, fucking Trickster" Dean grumbled, annoyed. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?". His eyes focused on the two joint hands, as to say that he wasn't speaking just about the other's reticence.

"If I have to tell the truth, yes, I am! This entire situation is real fun." The archangel sounded almost pleased. Then a more serious note appeared in his tone, even if his words remained playful. "But I'd like to remember you that I am no longer playing the role of Loki the Trickster, but I'm back being my true fabulous angelic self!"

"Fine, as you wish" the older Winchester conceded. "Fucking archangel!"

Gabriel nodded satisfied. "That's better."

Dean shook his head, incredulous, but there was the hint of a smile on his lips. "So, tomorrow we are checking the crime scenes and interrogating eventual neighbours and so on. The usual stuff. You coming with us?"

"Uhm…" The archangel looked pensive for some moments. Then he turned towards Sam with a malicious smirk. "What do you think, kiddo? Should I come with you?"

The latter glared at him, but then nodded, even if not without a bit of reluctance. He knew well that the other had meant to ask him if he wanted his company, but he had no intention of playing along with him. "I think it would be a good idea. Maybe you will be able to sense something" he answered, keeping his tone strictly professional. "You could be useful."

"Oh, so you do need me! At least, you, Sam! Your brother has already said his opinion on the matter" the shorter man teased, his golden eyes shining with amused delight. He squeezed the hunter's fingers. "Don't worry, gigantor, I'll take care of _all_ your needs! And you will be satisfied, I promise!"

"Fuck off, you pervert" Sam snorted in answer, taking his hand away. "I don't know why I'm still acting nice with you. You are a complete asshole."

"Because you love me, kiddo! And I'm very, very happy about it" Gabriel sang cheerfully. "Wanna see how much?"

The younger Winchester opened his mouth to let out a harsh reply, but Dean was quicker and growled exasperate: "Oh for fuck's sake! Stop this sickening flirting! Get a room!"

The other hunter stared at him incredulous, ignoring the archangel's laugh. What the hell was his brother doing? He had the horrible feeling that the elder was trying in his own and odd way to provide him a stepping stone. But of course he had to be a dick at the same time so it was coming out totally wrong. "Dean, don't start, please. Gabriel is enough" he stated annoyed. He could take care of his love life, if it could be called like that, by his own. He had never liked it when his sibling had stepped in claiming to want and help with his crushes. It had always ended badly for him. "I've never said a word about the whole minutes you spend eye fucking Cas, so I'd be glad if you just did the same!". He wasn't even sure where that had come from, but the shocked look on Dean's face was enough to make him ignore the fact that he had been a bastard by mentioning Castiel.

"When I do _what_?!" the older Winchester exploded, his voice loud enough to attract the attention of most of the people who were in the diner.

"Lower your voice, or you'll have us kicked out" Sam muttered, looking quickly around, feeling a bit uncomfortable under the gaze of the presents. "And you've heard me. You and Cas eye fucking, staring at each other for endless minutes. Have you got an idea of how much uncomfortable I feel when you do that? God, I feel like a very embarrassed, unwanted intruder. And the tension that fills the air…It's unbearable! But I've never said anything because I can mind my business, something you can't do apparently."

Dean kept staring at him like he was insane, gaping and still a bit in shock. He had to be having some kind of fucked up dream. He couldn't believe that his younger sibling had actually spoken those words, and especially he couldn't believe that he really meant what he had just said. He didn't do that thing with Castiel. It was the angel's fault, he seemed not able to understand the meaning of personal space and he apparently liked a lot to stare at people. Well, at him in particular. But that was all. He had come to accept it because scolding the other all the time hadn't worked. And he looked back because he hated loosing staring contests.

He opened his mouth to tell his brother those things, but in that moment Charlene slipped back next to him, preventing him from speaking. "Hey guys!" she said with a forced smile. She looked nervous and her eyes wandered between the brothers, refusing to look at Gabriel. "Did I miss something interesting?"

"Just small chat" Sam answered, happy to be able to drop the argument. It was better if they pretended that it had never happened. He eyed the woman. "Are you alright, Charlie? You look worried."

"Ah, it's nothing, just an idiot in the bathroom…" she quickly said, waving a hand nonchalantly. Then she added: "I was thinking that we could speak with the waitress and the barkeeper. I heard them joking about some local legends. Adding some folklore in our articles could be a good idea."

"It was exactly what I was thinking!" Dean agreed, shooting an interested glance at the barkeeper's legs. If he had been in the mood he would have gladly spent some hours with her. "Which one do you want, girl?"

"You're letting me choose? That's nice, Dean, but I was thinking about a competition." Charlie offered him a defiant smirk. "Let's see whom the real charmer is!"

The older hunter grinned back. "I accept. But prepare to lose, 'cause there's no way you can beat me!" he warned getting up. "Let's go and get a drink from that lovely hot lady, shall we?" He got an enthusiastic nod as an answer and turned towards his brother. "I'll leave the waitress to you. She seems to have a soft spot for couples!" Getting up, he gestured towards the young woman who was chatting happily with a girl and a boy seated a bit far away from them. "Good luck!"

Sam glared at him. "Yeah of course, Dean. I hope that Charlie will win. Maybe you'll shut up then" he mumbled unhappily. "Jerk."

"Bitch" Dean answered never losing his smirk. "See you later."

The younger hunter waved at the two, who headed towards the counter, whispering to each other. Then he turned towards the archangel. "So…" he started, trying to sound casual. "You wanted some dessert, didn't you?"

The other smiled to him and he couldn't help thinking that it was one of the most disquieting grins he had ever seen. "Only if we are sharing" he claimed firmly and left his hand to call the waitress. "Excuse me, miss! Can we order?"

** ж**

Charlene sighed as she entered her room. It was almost three in the morning and she was still tired by the journey. She had lost the challenge with Dean since the barkeeper, Jane, seemed to be into men for her bad, but she had had fun anyway, so much that she had almost forgotten about the discovery she had made.

She locked the door and quickly grabbed her cell phone, dialling Crowley's number. She couldn't believe that he had hidden something so relevant from her. That hellish bastard. When she had gone to the bathroom she had left her second phone on calling mode in her purse, so that she could listen to her targets conversation. At first they had talked about the hunt and teased each other, but, just when she was about to get up and go back to the table, Dean had called Gabriel "fucking _archangel_". She shouldn't have been so surprised, after all she had already learned that demons and Hell existed, so it was natural that angles and Heaven did too. The problem was that she was working for the Devil and for sure an archangel wouldn't be happy about it.

"Hello, my dear!" Crowley's voice came from the other side of the line, interrupting her thoughts. "Can I do…?"

"You fucking _bitch_!" she interrupted, angered, not caring about the consequences of her words. "You sent me to work with an angel and you didn't warn me?! What if Gabriel had sensed something coming from you on me? Damn! You could have got me killed!"

"Oh, so you've already found out. Well, you are lucky, Charlie. There could have been two angels" the demon chuckled, not touched by her insults and amused by her distress. "Don't worry, I made sure that you were clean. I would never waste such an important resource for nothing. I'm not stupid."

"Yeah, of course" she muttered, sounding not convinced at all.

The King of Hell sighed. "Come on, Charlene. It was to prevent you from acting strange! Tell me, would you have been able to be as friendly as you were with the boys if I had told you about Gabriel from the start?"

"No" she admitted reluctantly. "But I haven't been able to look at him for the whole evening!"

"Did they notice?"

"I don't think so."

"Then you don't have to worry about anything. Just try to act normal from now on. And, trust me, that archangel wouldn't do anything if he found out that you are associated with me. He is not the Gabriel you know from your human myths. He cares just about his own business. Like me."

Charlene snorted, but a small smile appeared on her lips. "Yeah, sure. If he is similar to you then I really shouldn't be worried" she commented, her voice filled with sarcasm. "Next time, just tell me, okay?"

"I'll take it as a compliment" he said, his voice sounding lighter. "Alright, next time I'll warn you…If you promise me not to freak out again. And don't call me "bitch" ever again. Even if my former job as a crossroad demon had some similarities to that kind of occupation. You see, we seal contracts by kissing."

She raised an eyebrow even if he couldn't see her. "Really? Oh my, being a demon must suck at times" she claimed surprised. "I would never kiss someone I don't like."

Crowley let out a small laugh. "It's more fun than you think. Especially when they freak out" he explained delighted. "The more they are reluctant the longer and the deeper I kiss them. I love it. It's so humiliating for them. And sometimes you get to kiss some interesting people…"

"You really are a bitch!" Charlie exclaimed before she could stop herself. "Sorry!" she added immediately, even if it was clear that she didn't mean it.

She could feel the shrug in his voice as he answered: "Well, I can pass you that this time. Now, I have to go, Charlie. The Leviathans are moving again. Call me soon, girl. And do not fear, you are safe for now."

"I already told you that I don't trust the Devil's word" she talked back, but there was no hostility in her voice this time. "Goodnight, Crowley."

She hung up and threw the phone on the small desk. Shaking her head she walked towards the window and moved the curtains. Outside everything was dark and quiet and yet she had a bad feeling. Whatever was haunting the city was there, hidden in the shadow. She wondered if the guys could feel it too. She thought about the tension in Dean's posture as he had walked her to her door and about the glance the brothers had exchanged when they had left the diner. Gabriel had looked quite distracted, apparently untouched by the dark presence, but he had been unusually quiet. They knew too well.

With another quick look through the glass she closed the curtains again, making sure that the windows were locked. Maybe that wouldn't have been enough to keep the creature out, but it made her feel safer. She stripped and put on her pyjamas, then let herself fell on the bed. She absent-mindedly thought that the two voices speaking in the corridor sounded familiar, but sleep took her before her mind could identify them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's notes:**

Hey there!

I want to apologise to my few readers. I have completely forgot to update this story on this website. I haven't been working on it much and it slipped my mind. I'll be posting the missing chapters and, hopefully, a fresh new one soon too!

For now, enjoy! I hope it was worth the wait!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

Charlie closed her eyes, focusing on the cool air that ran quickly over her. Not being able to feel the weight of her body was a very strange sensation. She absent-mindedly wondered if that was what birds experienced while flying. Birds and angels, she mentally corrected herself. Maybe even demons. She didn't know if they could actually fly. Maybe she should ask Crowley the next time she saw him. If there would be a next time. After all she was falling off one of the highest bridges she had ever seen.

Suddenly that awareness hit her, hard and cold, waking her mind from the numbness that had enveloped it. She was _falling _off a fucking bridge. And she would eventually crash in the freezing waters of a damned river or, if she was unlucky, on some rocks with a very nasty noise. The image of her flesh scattered everywhere in thin pieces filled her mind and she hoped that it wouldn't be as painful as it seemed to be. She felt a pang of anger. Damned demon, he had promised her that the job would have been easy and not dangerous for her. He had said that she would be safe. But her current situation was as far as possible from her idea of safety. Never trust the Devil, that was what she had told herself from the start. However, she had lowered her guard at some point and that was the result. She would die and never know how her favourite TV shows would end. And all her efforts to create a nice life for herself, away from most of the troubles, would be vain.

She hugged herself, preparing to the inevitable. She didn't want to die, but she was too conscious of the fact that her fall was quickly coming to an abrupt end. She heard a voice, close and far away at the same time. Were they her screams of terror? She couldn't say if she was yelling. Her mind had shut off again, leaving her alone with the awareness of her approaching death. She tried to focus on the sounds through the hiss of the air. It wasn't her voice. It had to be the Winchesters calling for her. It was nice to know that someone would miss her and cry for her after all. It was oddly comforting.

She tried to relax, but her limbs were stiff and hurting for the cold and the tension. She didn't want to die feeling horror and terror. Where was the film of her life? She wished to be remembering her most fun moments and stopped thinking about the sound that her bones would make impacting on the water. It would have been nicer. After all those were the last moments of her life and she would like them to be somehow decent.

The thoughts of her favourite characters, the figures that had guided her through all her worst periods, came into her mind. She should say goodbye to them. Or maybe she should tell them that she would see them soon. Who knew what could wait her on the other side. She had been good in spite of everything, so there should be some nice surprise waiting for her. She smiled a bit. She'd like that.

_Two days before…_

Charlie walked into the small coffee bar, stirring lightly. The motel beds weren't exactly comfortable, but she had slept in much worse places, so she had decided that she wouldn't complain much. She had managed her five hours of sleep, and that was enough for her standards. Especially considering the kind of task that was keeping her busy at the moment.

She looked around in the room and immediately located her three companions. She started to walk towards them, but the smile on her face faltered a bit as soon as she noticed that something in the air was off. Sam was wearing a dark frown and he kept shooting murderous looks to his brother, who showed a similar expression, but with an angrier hue. The younger hunter was wearing the same clothes from the previous evening, even if she remembered clearly that he had stained them while sharing a cake with Gabriel in the diner. She raised an eyebrow, puzzled. He didn't seem the kind of guy who walked around in dirty clothes when he had the possibility to change. There was surely something going on. She turned her attention to the shorter man, who on the contrary seemed unaffected by the tension running between the two brothers and was happily busying himself with a huge cup of chocolate ice cream.

"Good morning, bitches!" She greeted when she reached them, pretending not to have noticed the strange atmosphere. "Sorry, I'm late."

"Good morning, Charlie," Sam answered her, forcing a small smile, while Dean simply raised a hand as she slipped next to him. "Don't worry, we've just arrived."

"Heya, girl!" Gabriel grinned, his eyes shining with weird satisfaction. "Don't mind the kids, they're in a bad mood today! But they'll stop sulking eventually, don't worry!"

She called the waiter to order her breakfast and then turned again towards her companions. "What happened, guys? Problems with the room?" She asked, not being able to help her curiosity.

"No, Charlie. Nothing like that. It's stupid, you don't need to…" The younger Winchester started to say, but his brother interrupted it abruptly.

"He drew the girliest graffiti you can imagine on my _car_!" the older hunter claimed in a dark tone, his green eyes almost burning with indignation. "On my _Baby_! I'll never forgive him for that! She's _embarrassing_ now! Do you have an idea of how much time it will take me to clean all that mess?!"

"He's exaggerating. I just drew some small flowers. But everything that happens to his car is a tragedy!" Sam said snorting and rolling his eyes. He glared at his sibling. "Besides, he started it. I asked him to wash my clothes yesterday and when I went to pick them up this morning they were _pink_. All of them!"

"I told you I didn't do it on purpose! I must have messed up with the soap!" Dean exclaimed, exasperated in turn. "You had no right to attack my Baby!"

The younger Winchester's frown deepened even more. "You asked for it, Dean," he stated firmly. "Now deal with the consequences!"

They kept staring murderously at each other for a while, making the tension around the table become even heavier. In the end, the older hunter got up and left, muttering something about having to return his car to its original look, and the younger followed soon after, saying that he needed to get some clean and not pink clothes.

Charlie avoided any kind of comment even if she had to try very hard not to laugh. The two were grown men, monsters hunters, and still they played pranks on each other as if they were young boys. She smiled at the thought shaking her head. She could understand what was behind it, even if they were now so much upset with each other.

Gabriel's loud laugh brought her back to the present. She realised that she had been left alone with the archangel, which was not exactly good, but she found herself to be more interested in why he was so amused than worried about him blowing her cover.

"Gabriel?" She questioned cautiously, raising an eyebrow at him. "What's up?"

"Oh, come on, Charlie! Have you seen them?" the former Trickster chuckled maliciously. "They're simply _hilarious_. Messing with them is always so much fun! I love it."

She stared at him for a moment, then realisation dawned on her. "Wait a sec! It was _you_!" She exclaimed incredulous. "You dyed Sam's clothes pink! To make them start a prank war?!"

Gabriel nodded solemnly, looking absolutely satisfied with himsel. "Yeah. And I turned Sammy's small sketch on the car door in a huge graffiti that runs on the whole bodywork."

"You sneaky bastard!" She said before she could stop herself. She was starting to see what Crowley had meant when he had stated that Gabriel wasn't like one could imagine due to the folklore. She would have never imagined that a divine being could enjoy playing such stupid pranks. Or, as a matter of fact, molesting someone as he did with Sam. And she was sure that he wasn't acting. He was enjoying the whole thing too much to be faking his amusement. "They'll kill you when they find out!"

"I'm actually looking forward to that. But it will take them some time and I'm planning to go on pulling pranks on them in the meanwhile. I've done something similar before, a long time ago, when we had just met. Ah, those were good times!" Gabriel answered nodding and letting out a small sigh. He looked up at the ceiling, a melancholic look on his face. He missed his days as a Trickster, in spite of everything. He missed to be free from responsibilities. "You see, girl, this detective thing is the boys' job, not mine. I'm just tagging along in case they need some help. And it's boring for me. I'm used to the happy life, if you see what I mean, and their lifestyle is completely different from my old one. I still need to adjust."

"Why are you staying with them, then? You could just come when they call you for help or something," the young woman pointed out. Once again, she couldn't help her curiosity, even if a small voice in her head was warning her not to push it too far. "Are you staying for Sam?"

The archangel smirked, but there was no malice in his eyes this time. "It's not that easy. And, well, Sammy is a good incentive to stay, but he's not my main reason. If it was just him I'd probably do as you suggested. The truth is that I'm doing a favour to my little brother. He's Dean's best pal and he cares very much about him and Sam. He's usually the one to be around, but he had to leave…by reasons of force majeure." His accent modelled on the French words, sounding as natural as if they were from his mother language as well. "I haven't been a good big brother in the past. I've many things to make up to Cas, so I'm watching over the boys for him."

"I understand. I know what it means, disappointing your family," she mumbled absent-mindedly, offering him a sad smile. For a moment a shadow ran on her face, but she chased the gloomy thoughts of her past away quickly. "Cas?" She repeated instead.

"Castiel, my brother," the former Trickster complied, shrugging. He didn't question her words, letting her have her privacy. "We have odd names in our family."

"Yeah, I noticed," Charlie nodded. Angels' names were indeed weird, she was tempted to say, but she managed to refrain herself. Instead she gestured towards the door. "Shouldn't you check the fighting brothers before they slit each other's throat?"

"Right. After all watching over them is my job now. And maybe I'll even manage to catch Sammy while he's changing," Gabriel agreed with a new grin, licking away the last bites of ice cream from his spoon. "What will you do today?"

"I guess I'll go around and talk with the residents, see if I can gather some information about the accidents," she lied casually waving her hand. In truth she would have to find a safe and efficient way to stalk the Winchesters. "I must work too."

"I think the boys will do the same. Call us if you need help or if you find something interesting. I'll have Sammy and Deano do the same." The archangel got up and left some cash on the table. "It should cover your breakfast too. Take the change if there's some. It's all on Dean!" He winked her. "Have a nice day, girl. See ya tonight."

"Thanks, Gabe. You too."

She watched him leave the bar and then went back to her cappuccino. She had better finish her breakfast quickly if she wanted to tail her new favourite trio. Crowley had told her that following them on the case was the best way to find out what their future plans were.

She pulled out the phone the demon and given her and checked the screen. The previous evening she had hacked Dean's phone while he was busy flirting with the barkeeper and now she was able to locate him wherever he went. She had planned to do the same with Sam's but Gabriel had never left the younger hunter alone, not giving her a chance to. It wasn't a bad thing, in retrospect. If the brothers split it was more likely that the archangel would go with the younger and so she could have approached Dean while he was alone. She was sure that the elder liked her better than his brother, since they were more similar. Maybe she could exploit that to gain his trust and make him slip something useful. She frowned at the thought, but shook her head. She didn't like that kind of plan, especially since she really liked the three, but she didn't have many alternatives considering who her employer was.

With a sigh she finished her hot drink and stuffed the last piece of her croissant in her mouth, then she got up and headed for the door, waving goodbye at the waiter and receiving a warm smile in response. She looked down at the figurine of Hermione that was watching her from its place in one of the small inner pockets of her bag. "Time to get to work, H," she claimed solemnly. "Let's show them what very smart girls can do!"

** ж**

Dean shot the umpteenth worried look at his car before locking it and following Sam, who seemed to have found some decent, non-pink clothes, towards the newest accident scene. The police had just left and the crowd of onlookers who had been watching the ambulance carrying away the corpse was starting to disperse. The older hunter grumbled a curse under his breath. Luckily his brother hadn't used real paint to draw his stupid flowers on the bodywork or it would have taken him a lifetime to clean it, but it had still been very annoying. He knew it wasn't the right time for a prank war, not with all the shit they needed to take care of, but his sibling couldn't get away so easily with what he had done to his Baby. He would get his revenge soon.

When he finally joined him, Sam was talking with an old woman, probably one of the victim's neighbours. She looked quite shocked by what had happened and her hands clenched tightly at the shawl she wore on her shoulders.

"He was such a good man. He always helped me with the shopping. And he was so young," she was saying, her voice shaking lightly. "Poor Joseph. He was an economics student. And he was very good…Oh, Marianne! She will be devastated!"

"I'm really sorry for her neighbour, Mrs Evans. If I'm not too indiscreet…Who's Marianne?" The younger hunter asked in a calm tone. "Joseph's girlfriend?"

"Oh, no, no. She is his older sister," the woman corrected shaking her head. "He didn't have a girlfriend, even if he was such a good-looking boy. He was too focused on his studies. He always joked about not wanting that kind of distraction."

Sam nodded, pretending to be scribbling some notes on his notebook. "I see. Thank you very much, madam."

"You are welcome, my boy. I'm glad to hear that there is someone interested in this awful affair." She lowered her voice and stepped closer to him, as if she was about to reveal a secret, her skinny hand gripping at his arms. "I'll tell you something, since you've been so nice. When I was a child, my mother used to tell me some stories about the times when this town didn't exist yet. She told me that once every three hundred years an ancient spirit ravaged these lands. It took away many lives before being satisfied and all his victims died in strange accidents, as it is happening now." She took a step back and resumed her previous posture. "Of course, it's just folklore. But I've lived long enough to know that behind every legend there's a bit of truth."

"I totally agree," Sam nodded, looking pensive for a moment. Then he shook the woman's hand. "That was very interesting. Thank you again for sharing it with me."

"Don't mention it. And be careful," she answered before turning around and walking away.

Dean shot her a weird look and then focused his attention on his brother. "An ancient spirit? What, is it there some reaper gone crazy?" He commented, sceptically. "I think that our friend Mrs. Evans is a bit out of her mind."

"Don't be rude, Dean. I think she could be right. It sounds like some sort of cycle to me. Ritual killings maybe," the younger Winchester pointed out, glaring at him. "It could be some pagan god. We've hunted plenty of them."

"Yeah, I remember them. Like the scarecrow or those two Christmas freaks," the elder snorted, frowning at the memories. Every time they had been forced to deal with some kind of deities they had always found a way out by the skin of their teeth, once almost literally, and he didn't like the idea of having to do that again. "Not to mention our favourite pocket-sized Trickster and his pagan friends."

"Yeah…". Sam sighed, sharing his brother's thoughts. Nasty hunts those ones. "Speaking of that happy reunion…Where's Gabriel?"

Dean scoffed, crossing his arms. "Why are you asking _me_? He's always around you. And he was helping you with your clothes before we came here! But now I understand why the ride has been so quiet. No freaking Trickster there to fuck with my head!"

"You were the last one to speak to him!" The younger hunter protested. He ran a hand in his hair. He really hope that the archangel wasn't around causing troubles. "He must have left while we were driving."

"Doesn't change the fact that he is _your_ angel." The other Winchester stated matter-of-factly.

Sam rolled his eyes at that, but didn't comment. He wasn't giving his brother a reason to start that discussion again. He had had enough of his crap the day before. "Let's go in the backyard. There should be a door," he said instead. "It's safer if we enter from there."

Dean nodded, looking happy in turn to be able to let the subject go. "Yeah, let's go. We should hurry before they send someone to clean up the mess."

They walked along the pavement side by side, reaching the end of the street before turning around the corner and going back following a parallel road. They found a house with all the shutters closed and crossed its garden, carefully looking around for eventual witnesses. They moved through the backyards until they reached Joseph's one and, once there, the elder extracted his lock-picking set from his jacket.

"What happened to this guy?" He asked as he inserted the tool in the lock and started working on it. "What was his name again?"

"Joseph Brooks," Sam answered, keeping an eye on the surroundings. "He fell and hit his head against the corner of the kitchen isle. The neighbour said that he died on the spot, or so she has been told. Like the other victims."

"Well, let's see if there's something strange on the scene then. If it's a spirit it should have left a trace," his sibling said. Then he cursed. "What's wrong with this damned lock? I can't…"

He couldn't finish the sentence because in that moment the door opened, leaving them frozen in surprised. Gabriel raised an eyebrow at them. He was wearing a dark grey coverall that looked awfully like the one he used to wear while playing the role of the janitor in Ohio and his hands were covered by a pair of latex gloves.

"Took you long enough. Come on, don't just stand there," the creature commented, stepping aside to let them in. "I was starting to think that you'd got lost."

"We were waiting for the police to leave," the younger hunter answered, still a bit surprised by the other's presence. "Where have you been? And why are you dressed like that?"

The archangel smirked and pointed the ID that was clamped on the front of his coverall. "Crime scene cleaner," he said proudly, looking quiet amused. "One of the two workers who should have been on duty has suddenly fallen ill an hour ago and they had to bring him to the hospital. By chance, I was walking there when it had happened and, always by chance, I had the right credentials to take his place just for this job. Of course, it has taken a bit of persuasion, but that has never been a problem for me."

Sam glared at him hard. "What have you done to that poor man?" He questioned, accusingly. He knew too well what nasty consequences the former Trickster's pranks could have. He had assumed that the other would have stopped his Loki's tricks now that he was working on their side, but apparently he had been wrong. He felt a pang of disappointment at that. He shouldn't have been so stupid to make such an assumption.

"Food poisoning. He'll live, even if he'll have to be very careful with his diet from now on," the shorter man answered with a shrug. He puffed at the frown that the younger Winchester was still giving him. "Oh, come on! He poisoned all his neighbours' cats!"

Dean snorted at that, but didn't speak and walked towards the kitchen instead, immediately followed by the archangel, who apparently thought that the matter was already solved. The younger Winchester rolled his eyes and went after them, shaking his head in disbelief. Dying and being brought back to life hadn't really changed Gabriel after all. And he wasn't sure if he should be happy or not about it.

"That's where the guy hit his head," the former Trickster explained, as soon as they were all in the kitchen, pointing the bloody marble of the isle corner. The body had been removed but the pool of blood on the floor was still fresh. "I heard the police say that he's slipped and _bang!,_ he's crashed his head against this thing. He was dead before he hit the floor." He paced around the blood stopping a meter away from it. "There's something that could interest you. The guy's slippers soles were wet. That's why he fell. But there's no water neither on the house floors nor outside. I checked. And, if there was, it magically…disappeared."

"So someone made him slip" Sam mumbled pensively, crouching down to study the pool of blood. He looked up at the archangel. "Thanks, Gabriel."

"It's fine, kiddo," the latter said, waving a hand and making a snack appear out of nowhere. "Do your job, I'll be in the living room. Call me when you are done. Oh, and don't mind the man in the hall. He is my colleague for the day." He met the younger hunter's once again incredulous gaze. "Don't look at me like that. I had to get rid of him somehow. And he's not dead. He's just taking a nap!"

Dean let out another snort, watching the creature leaving the room. "He never changes, does he? Anyway, I'll check the first floor," he announced pulling out his EMF meter. He nodded his head towards corridor. "Keep an eye on that Trickster, Sammy. He's being too nice with us and I have a bad feeling about it."

Sam nodded getting up and extracted his own meter. He checked firstly the area in which Joseph had died and then went slowly through the whole kitchen. The instrument revealed some traces of electromagnetic fields, but nothing really relevant. The values were just a bit higher than they should have been, which meant that _something_ had been there, but it wasn't enough to say what. It wasn't a spirit, at least not one of the kinds they usually hunted.

He lowered his meter with a frown. It wouldn't help them finding out what was behind those accidents. The only lead they had at the moment was Mrs Evans's legend. He mentally took note to look into it once they would be back at the hotel, even if he didn't expect to find anything. He had already checked the local folklore and there was no mention of that story. It had to be something that had been passed on orally and that had almost gone lost during the years.

He left the kitchen to check the corridor, working more quickly that he usually did, stopping for a moment to spare a look at the small toilet and at the storage room. He tried to avoid looking at the middle-aged man who was sleeping soundly on the hall floor, drooling on the tiles with the most peaceful expression he had ever seen, and then walked in the large living room. Gabriel was there, sprawled on his back on the leather couch, busying himself with a huge jellyroll.

"Did you find anything?" The former Trickster asked in a bored tone, as the hunter approached him to check the documents that were piled up on the small coffee table.

"Don't ask rhetorical questions, Gabriel" Sam scolded a bit harshly, sparing him a brief disapproving glance. The other hadn't lied when he had said that he wasn't there to help them with their job. Apparently he just liked watching them struggling while the look for an answer. "You know I haven't."

"Sorry, gigantor," the archangel said, clearly not touched by his sharp tone and definitely not meaning his apologies. "I was just trying to make some conversation." He licked the jam off his fingers. "Want a bite?"

"No thanks. I care about what I eat, I'm not Dean," the younger hunter replied without looking away from the papers he was holding. "And I like it better when you shut up."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit offended by how he was being treated. He was even trying to be nice. "Still in a bad mood, uh? Fine, go on being all grumpy if you want. But at least sit down. You've already understood that your stupid tool is useless in this case."

"And? What am I supposed to do? Just sitting with you until this thing stops killing for other three hundred years?" Sam talked back a bit irritated, but sat down on the sofa as he was told. "There must be something that can help us to understand what's going on."

"Well, if you want my opinion, I wouldn't mind having you sitting next to me for the next two or three weeks. But I guess that neither you nor your brother would be happy with that" the archangel claimed with a small knowing smirk. Then he snapped his fingers and Sam's laptop appeared on his owner's tights. "Go on and do your nerdy tricks, Sammy."

The younger Winchester shook his head, but this time there was a smile on his face. Gabriel could be a real pain in the ass, but he appreciated the small things that the creature had started to do for him from time to time. Not that he was going to admit it out aloud. If he had, he would have never heard the end of it.

He lifted the screen of the computer and typed his password, ready to lower his fingers on the keys, but he stopped half way as he saw that the browser was already opened on a specific research. "Greek mythology?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow in the former Trickster's direction. "So you _do_ know what we're hunting!"

"Let's say I may have an idea. I'm not completely sure because I haven't seen her yet, but I recognised the aura," the archangel answered calmly, taking another bite of his snack. "Besides, the location is a bit strange. Last time I met one of them I was in Germany, during World War II. Nasty creature. She almost attacked me."

"I don't want to know what you were doing there," the hunter stated, lifting his eyes, but then he focused his attention once again on the screen. "Are they deities?"

Gabriel lazily drew some strange symbols on the dark leather with his sticky fingers. "Not exactly. They are demigods, _daimons_ to be more specific. But I'm not telling you anything else. I don't want to spoil your fun."

"I think it's more yours than mine," Sam pointed out, but there was an amused note in his tone. He was starting to realise didn't mind Gabriel's games when they turned out to be harmless. "But I got enough information, so I can work on my own. Greek demigods, females, associated with death. And battlefields, since you mentioned the World War. The Greek pantheon is vast, but I think I can manage."

"That's why you are the smart brother," the archangel praised, nodding in approval. He got in a seated position and moved closer to him to be able to look at the screen. "Let's see how much it will take you to find the answer," he added then, his lips turning up again in a weird smile. "If you succeed before your brother comes down, I'll cook lunch for you and Dean. _Real_ cooking this time. And before you ask, yeah, I can cook. I'm just too lazy to do it."

The hunter stared suspiciously at him for some seconds. He knew that he shouldn't accept a challenge from the other, but the chance of wiping away that smirk from his face was far too tempting. And Dean would have agreed with him. "Fine. And what if I lose?"

"You'll dine with me alone tonight. In your motel room." The former Trickster's grin widened even more at his puzzled expression. "Take or leave, Sammy. Time's passing."

"I'll regret this, but fine. Deal," the younger Winchester mumbled with just a moment of hesitation. Then he went straight back to his research, without sparing another glance at the creature, fingers keying quickly. He forced himself to ignore the chuckle that followed his agreeing and also the weight of Gabriel's head resting on his shoulder a few minutes later. He wouldn't allow the other to distract him. He needed some payback for all the embarrassing things he had been forced to bear the previous day. And having the Trickster losing his own bet seemed like a good start.

When Dean came downstairs twenty minutes later, he found the two still in the same position. Sam was bent over his laptop, going through the paragraph of his last research, while Gabriel was still curled up against his side, his elbow resting on the human's shoulder, enjoying a colourful lollipop. The elder hunter raised an eyebrow at the scene and walked towards them, clearing his throat loudly to announce his presence. He still hadn't figured out if the archangel was really that clingy or if it was just part of his plan to annoy the Hell out of his brother.

At the sound, the former Trickster's head immediately shot up, a look of pure delight blossoming on his face, but before he could open his mouth the younger Winchester pointed at the screen of his laptop and exclaimed triumphant: "_Keres_!"

Gabriel let out a disappointed whine, his expression falling immediately, while Dean looked at his brother as if he had gone mad. "_What_?" he exclaimed, confused, his green eyes moving between the pair. "What the hell was that, Sam?"

"We're dealing with a Ker, Dean. A Greek demigod of death. They share some similarities with the Valkyries," Sam explained with a huge grin. No one could beat him when it came to researches. The archangel should have expected it and avoided to give him so much information. Not that he was complaining. He knew that losing would have brought him some unwanted surprise, so it was better that way. Satisfied, he turned towards the sulking Trickster. "Aren't we, _Gabe_?"

"You're enjoying this too much, Sammy. We don't want you to become too full of yourself, do we? I'm just cooking lunch," Gabriel snorted sarcastically, not even trying to hide how disappointed he was by the result of his little game, but then nodded. "Yeah, it's a Ker. Anaplekte, if I can hazard a guess. She's specialised in quick, painful deaths."

"Wait a second, you two," the older Winchester interrupted, still puzzled. He had the distinctive feeling to be missing the main core of the situation. "What does the Trickster cooking lunch have to do with this Ana…Whatever her name is?"

"Anaplekte," Sam filled, patiently. He was used to his brother being unable to pronounce every non-English word that wasn't part of an exorcism ritual. Then his tone took once again a satisfied hue. "We made a bet. If I was able to find out what we were hunting before you joined us, he'd have cooked our lunch without using his powers."

Dean nodded, impressed. "Wow, Sammy. You won against the Trickster. I should give you more credit," he commented, shooting the shorter man an amused look. "And what if you lost?"

"He'd have had to dine with me in your room," Gabriel answered before the younger Winchester could. Sam might have won the bet, but that didn't mean that he was giving up on getting his small part of fun anyway. "Without you, Deano, in the way."

"What, were you planning to ask me to sleep in Charlie's room?" the older hunter questioned, his expression turning into a frown. "Because the answer would have been no."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure if I were you. I can be very persuasive. Or I could have just sent you somewhere far away until I was finished," the former Trickster talked back, holding his threatening gaze without effort, eyes shining lightly. "You should have learnt by now what I'm capable of, don't you agree?"

"Wait a moment! We agreed on a dinner and nothing else!" Sam interjected, glaring at the archangel in turn. There was the trick he should have been expecting. And of course it had to come out in front of his brother. The archangel had to have all planned, both if he won or if he lost the bet. "Why would have you needed Dean to sleep somewhere else?!"

The Trickster smirked suggestively, raising both his eyebrows at the younger Winchester. "I'm afraid that we've a different idea of "dinner", Sam. You should see what I do with my fake girls while I eat."

"Feel free _not_ to have this conversation while I'm here!" The older hunter interjected with a groan, before Gabriel could throw himself in some very detailed description of what he and Sam would have done had he won the bet. He ran a hand on his face. "I don't want to hear it." The, without waiting for an answer, he exploited the brief moment of silence to change the subject. "So, how do we kill this…Ker?"

At that both the brothers turned towards Gabriel, who had started to lick his lollipop again. The latter raised an eyebrow again, pretending not to have understood the meaning of their looks. "What's up now, kids? Why are you staring at me? Do I have something on my face?" He asked in a completely innocent tone. "If I do, it's Sammy's fault!"

"Gabriel, we have no time for your games now," Sam claimed firmly, ignoring the umpteenth innuendo and trying to hide the lingering feeling of embarrassment in his guts. "We need to do something before someone else gets hurt. How do we kill Anaplekte?"

"I haven't got the faintest idea." The archangel replied matter-of-factly, shrugging. "You're the hunters, you should be the experts. I've never gone around killing my pagan fellows!" He frowned slightly. "Well…There have been a couple of exception, but they don't count. It wasn't my fault, they asked for it."

"But you're a fucking _archangel_! And you've been around those freaks for centuries!" Dean protested incredulous. He felt the anger suddenly starting to boil inside his chest. He hated how indifferent Gabriel looked in that moment. It was clear that he didn't care the slightest if other innocent people died. Everything was fine for him as long as he had his fun and the chance to mess up with them. "You should know something!"

The shorter man sighed in annoyance. "Don't get all worked up, Deano. Listen, I'm not lying. I really don't know. I never asked myself this question before today, alright?" He talked back, rolling his eyes. What did that human want from him? Dean had made clear that he didn't want his help, so now he had no rights to get upset with him. "The Keres are pagan demons, so maybe my blade or your demon-killing knife could work on them. But they're spirit-like creatures and I don't know how to evoke or trap them. That's all I can give you. I've done my part, even after you've told me to stay out of your way. Now it's up to you."

"Oh, for fuck's sake! You are _useless_!" The older hunter exploded, exasperated. He didn't care if he had refused the archangel's help before. Now he was giving him a chance to prove them that he wasn't just an asshole, but apparently the other had no intention of exploiting it. Maybe because he had nothing to prove. "Can you for once stop being a son of a bitch and do something good with your life? You should, since you claim to be on our side! If Cas was here, he'd have at least…" He stopped abruptly, realizing what he had been about to say. He opened his mouth to amend, but no words came out of it. So he just growled and clenched his fists, before exclaiming: "Ah, go fuck yourself, Gabriel!" And without waiting for an answer, he stormed out of the house.

"Dean!" Sam called, jumping on his feet to run after his brother, but before he could reach the corridor the rumble of the Impala leaving at full speed came from outside and he understood that he could do nothing but giving up.

He ran a hand in his hair and sighed. His sibling was really a complete idiot sometimes. And now it was even more obvious that he still wasn't cool with Castiel wandering off. He found himself wishing once again that the angel hadn't decided to disappear in a crazy research for only God-knew-what. Not in that moment, not when they all needed to work out their issues with each other. Besides, Dean always got a little restless when their friend was away. And he couldn't blame his brother that time. He was worried too, considering what Castiel was risking walking around alone, struggling with his fading Grace.

"He'll be fine, Sam, and you know it," Gabriel's voice came from behind him and the archangel's hand found his arm. The former Trickster hadn't taken too well the words that the older Winchester had shouted him before sending him to hell, but he had done his best to shrug them off. He knew already how bad he was at being one of the good guys, he didn't need a human to remind him that. "Just give him some time to calm down."

"Yeah, I know. You're right," Sam muttered with a sigh, turning towards his speaker. He noticed the slightly darker expression on the other's face, but he didn't question him, his instinct telling him that it wasn't a good idea. "Come on, we should leave as well before someone comes and starts asking embarrassing questions," he said instead, nodding towards the front door. His eyes fell on the sleeping man at their feet. He had completely forgotten about that detail. "Uh…What about him?"

The archangel snapped his fingers. "The scene is clean. I erased all your fingerprints too," he claimed in a nonchalant tone. "And poor Luke will wake up in ten minutes with a headache and the memory of having done the job."

The younger hunter tried not to look impressed, but he failed almost completely. Gabriel was definitely everything but useless as Dean had stated. He just had a weird way to help, one that his brother couldn't understand. "Good. And thanks," he said after a moment, instinctively looking around. "Let's go then. Walk with me to the hotel?"

Gabriel opened his arms a bit and followed him out of the front door, leaping over the man's body. "If you really don't want to fly there…Fine. But only because you asked it nicely."

Sam smiled a bit at that. "Don't be lazy now," he teased in a light tone. "Along the way we'll stop to the supermarket and buy what you need to cook. I'm sure that Dean will be hungry when he comes back."

The former Trickster gave him a weird look. "You're making me buy the ingredients? And then what, are you going to ask to the motel owner if we can borrow his kitchen too?"

The younger hunter scoffed, rolling his eyes, but there was no real annoyance in his voice. "Of course I am. And you're helping me persuading him, aren't you?"

"Yeah. As if I had another choice. I hate you, Sam."

"No, you like me. Your words."

"Touché, kiddo."

The hunter shook his head and the archangel let out a small chuckle as they walked down the road side by side. Sam breathed in the cool air and looked up at the shining sun. He had missed those kinds of hunts, without having to constantly worry about any greater evil. Everything seemed easier, even if he was still painfully aware of Castiel's situation and of the threat that Raphael and the Leviathans were to them and to humanity. But in that moment, listening to Gabriel's cheerful chattering, he felt allowed to forget about it, even if just for a while.

** ж**

Dean drove for a long time, hours maybe, but he couldn't have stated it without any doubts. He was paying little attention to where he was going, his mind occupied only by an angry feeling and the sense of loss. He couldn't stop thinking about everything he and Castiel had faced together during the years of their friendship and, especially, he couldn't chase away the images of when the angel had broken the wall in Sam's mind, revealing his betrayal. Something had shattered into pieces inside him too in that moment, something precious and already cracked, and he wasn't sure that he would ever get it back.

The memory of how lost and hurt and vulnerable he had felt made him even angrier. He had always been careful not to trust anyone completely after his father's death, not even Sam. He knew what was hidden in the shadow and in the human heart. The Evil was everywhere, he had grown up with that certainty and he had seen it confirmed every day. And yet he had ended up opening himself to a creature who should have been one of his enemies but who, against every expectation, had stood up for his cause, accepting the awful consequences of that choice. And all just for _him_. He didn't know if it was because Castiel was from Heaven, but he had never imagined that such a deep devotion could be possible. And, moreover, he had never thought that he could deserve it, let alone from an angel of the Lord. Even now, after all the hurt and the betrayal, he still didn't feel worthy of the absolute trust that still shone in Castiel's broken eyes.

He pulled over abruptly in a sudden fit of irritation and stopped the car on the road edge. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. What the hell was he doing? He should be hunting a damned Greek demigod, looking for a way to free the Earth from a bunch of creatures from Purgatory, not angsting on his best friend's betrayal. He had to go back to the motel and help his brother with the research. And maybe ask Charlie out for a couple beers that evening. And kick Gabriel's feathery ass for being a jerk. That was what he should do. Instead he crossed his arms on the wheel and rested his forehead against them, eyes shut. He would do his job. He would act as he was expected to. He just needed a moment to break before putting himself back together. For now he still had enough time to allow himself to.

When he finally started the engine again and found his back way to the motel the sky was already darkening. He switched on the radio this time, allowing the music to wash away all the gloomy thoughts that had washed over him. He felt calmer now, even if he was still far from being fine. He wouldn't be until he knew that everyone he cared about was safe and sound, including that idiot in a trench coat that was the cause of the mess they were in.

The room was quiet when he entered it. Sam was sat at the small table in front of his laptop, surrounded by books from the local library. Gabriel was sprawled on the younger's bed, eyes closed and perfectly still. Dean raised an eyebrow seeing the archangel like that, but then turned again towards his brother.

"Hey, Dean," the younger Winchester greeted, looking away from the screen. He studied him for some seconds. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good. I just needed some time alone," he answered, shrugging, and he wondered if he was lying or not. He couldn't really tell. Feeling the sudden need to change the subject before the other could ask more questions, he gestured in archangel's direction. "What the hell is he doing? I thought that angels didn't sleep."

"I don't think he is actually sleeping," Sam answered, but he sounded puzzled in turn. "It must be some kind of meditation or similar. Two hours ago he told me that there was something he needed to do, but instead of leaving he laid down. He hasn't moved since then." He shrugged in turn and pointed a plate among the books. "He made something to eat for you too. We didn't know when you weren't coming back, so it's a cold dish. Oh, and there's some home-made pie on your nightstand. We thought you might appreciate it."

"Freaky angelic things," the older hunter commented shaking his head, but his eyes wandered towards where the sweet was. "I don't want to know. But he made me pie, so I guess I have to give him the benefit of doubt". He approached the table and grabbed the plate of cold pasta, sitting down opposite to his sibling. "Have you found anything?"

The younger Winchester shook his head. "No. I've found a lot about Valkyries, but the Keres aren't so well known. And of course no one has ever thought about killing one," he answered, sounding a bit irritated. He had spent all afternoon digging around but he was still mostly empty-handed. "I went through Dad's journal too, but I found nothing. That's why I borrowed those books from the library. They're about Greek mythology. Maybe there's something in there that I can't find on the web. I called Bobby, he said he'd look into it too."

"Good job, Sammy. We'll find a way to stop the bastard, we always do." Dean nodded with determination, reaching out to pat his brother's shoulder. "If we manage to her, we can give a try to the Trickster's idea and stab her with his blade. Those archangel things seemed to be able to kill almost everything."

Then he leant back again and stuffed a forkful of food in his mouth. He hadn't realised how hungry he was until that moment. As soon as he started to chew his eyes went wide and he almost immediately moaned around it, as the fresh flavour exploded in his. "Oh _fuck_! This stuff is awfully _good_!" He exclaimed astonished, looking down at his plate incredulous. "That son of a bitch can _really _cook!"

"Yeah, I had the same reaction. More or less," Sam laughed, amused by his sibling's ecstatic expression. "I didn't expect his cooking to be so, allow me the wordplay, _heavenly_. We should totally make him cook for us more often. And the dessert is even better. After all, Gabriel has a sweet tooth, it's not a secret."

The elder said something incomprehensible with his mouth full of pasta and went on devouring the whole dish with gusto until the ceramic was perfectly clean. After that, he immediately reached for the pie, cutting down a huge slice and forcing Sam to have one as well, despite the other's protests. No one could fight the older hunter when it came to pie.

They sat around the table in a comfortable silence, disturbed only by Dean's groans of pleasure, enjoying the delicate sweet taste, and the younger Winchester had to put all his self-control not to joke about the fact that his brother was sounding like he was having sex with his dessert. The tension that had hung between them since the morning had completely dissipated.

"I wanted to tell you that we should leave a slice of this awesomeness for Charlie, but I'm no longer sure that I want to share it," the older Winchester claimed in the end, licking his fork clean. "Unless you find a way to persuade our favourite archangel to make another one."

"Since when Gabriel is _ours_? You've always said that he is _my _archangel," Sam teased with a smirk. "Dean, you are far too easy to corrupt! We just need to give you some pie."

"You're wrong. You need to give me some _very_ _good_ pie, Sammy, and I'll do almost whatever you want. The way to my heart is through my stomach," Dean corrected, getting himself another slice and offering his brother a sarcastic grin in return. "But that's a secret, so please keep it for you. Unless you want demons and monsters to start coming to us with sweets to persuade me to let them live."

The younger hunter shook his head, lifting his eyes. "Of course! I'd be delighted to get poisoned pies every time we go on a hunt!" He scoffed in a light tone. Then he straightened himself and opened his laptop again. "Help me with these books?"

"That's your kind of stuff, but since that pie has put me in a very good mood I'll lend you a hand. Just this time," Dean claimed with a theatrical sigh, grabbing the nearest book. "But if it's too boring I'll leave them to you and I'll take a nap. Oh, by the way, Charlie phoned me earlier. I'm meeting her at ten."

"Alright, I'll keep on doing the research while you're out. As always," Sam nodded, his eyes moving away from the screen of his computer for a moment. He sighed in turn, looking at the volumes. "This will keep me up all night."

Dean smirked. "My condolences, Sammy. That's the price for being a nerd."

"Shut up and get to work. _Jerk_."

"You first. _Bitch_."

** ж**

The following day brought the Winchesters no news. They visited the old crime scenes, but the places had already been cleaned and so there were no clues left for them. The EMF meters proved themselves to be useless once again and so did all the books that Sam had managed to find. Bobby called them back in the late morning, but he hadn't got anything either.

Gabriel had refused to tell them more about Anaplekte and the brothers still didn't know if it was because he was hiding something from them or if he was being sincere and really didn't know anything else on the subject. Besides, after waking of from his "meditation", the archangel had spent little time with them, mumbling something about needing to stop Raphael's newest plan for world domination. Dean had even tried to chat casually with Charlie about the whole business, but she hadn't managed to find anything more than them.

The young woman, from her part, saw all her attempts to make the older hunter talk about their future plans being in vain. He had a huge amount of self-control even when he was wasted. He had let out something about a civil war in Heaven and about the fact that his angelic best friend was a huge, _cute_ asshole, but nothing really relevant, even if she had found Dean's choice of words on the second subject quite interesting.

Crowley had phoned her at night after she had come back to the motel with Dean and for the second times she had had to tell him that she had no news. The demon hadn't been happy about it, but he had seemed to take some more interest when she had mentioned what the brothers were hunting. Apparently he didn't really known what he had sent them to hunt down. Charlene had tried to exploit that to get some more information on the creature, but the King of Hell had quickly changed the subject and she had found herself listening to the tale of the last deals he had made. It was clear that her employer had no intention to help them against the Ker. On the contrary, the Winchesters' struggle to find a way to kill it seemed to amuse him.

On the morning of her fourth day in Mountain Pine, Charlie was awakened by the sound of her second phone ringing insistently. With a groan, she grabbed it and looked at the screen. It was seven thirty and apparently the Winchesters were leaving the building. She sighed, forcing herself out of the bed. No time for breakfast or showering. She needed to grab some clothes and follow them quickly. She ran a hand in her messy hair. She should really ask Crowley to refund her for the moral damages she was bearing while working for him.

Ten minutes later she was on the road, driving her rented car a bit behind the Impala. She needed to keep some distance not to be noticed, but she couldn't stay too far. The signal of Dean's phone had been faltering since when she had started the engine and she couldn't risk losing them.

She glanced down at the map, puzzled. They seemed to be heading out of the town. Had they found where the creature hid when it wasn't killing? Or did they have another kind of plan? She had heard them talking about summoning rituals once. Could it be something like that?

The screen of her phone trembled again, breaking the train of her thoughts, and making her frown. She hoped that it wasn't about to die on her. She liked that particular smart phone and the way she had hacked it, and it would have been a bother to find another one and do all the work again. She sighed and focused on the road once again. When she would have got back home, she would have checked it. Now she needed to focus on her task.

** ж**

Dean had been ready to break into a string of expletives when Sam had woken him up at seven in the morning. He had slept only four hours and the consequences of the huge amount of alcohol he had consumed the night before were still burdening him. However, it had been enough to hear the words "I think I found a way to summon the Ker" to radically change his mood. He had jumped out of the bed, grabbed a T-shirt and a pair of jeans and had told his brother to give him ten minutes before they left. The younger hunter had looked satisfied with his reaction and had nodded, muttering something about the fact that they would leave in half an hour because he needed to buy something at the near drug store. By the time he was back, the elder had already packed their weaponry and bought coffee for the both of them.

"So, why are we heading out of town?" Dean asked once they were on the road. "And what kind of ritual have you found?"

"I'm not sure of the result of this and I don't want to have people around us when we summon the Ker. We can't risk other lives," Sam explained checking the map carefully. "Turn right at the next crossroad. About the ritual…I'm not sure if it will work. While you were out with Charlie, I found this paragraph in one of the books. It's the transcription of an ancient document, dated back to the very first centuries of the Greek civilization." He rummaged in his bag and pulled out a photocopy. "It was incomplete and the translation wasn't accurate, but I managed to get the general meaning. It tells the story of a warrior who had managed to escape death in battles for years by imprisoning the Ker that was after his life. Eventually he was killed by the Fates, but that doesn't concern us. Unfortunately, there was no trace of the imprisonment spell, but I managed to find the ritual the warrior used to summon the Ker."

The older hunter gave him a weird look. "So, let me see if I've got it right," he said slowly, frowning. "We're going to perform a ritual you took from a very old fairy tale and _hope _that it will work? And, if it does, we'll try to stab whatever comes to us with a demon-killing knife. If we get it right, we kill the thing. If we don't, it kills us. Just awesome."

"Ah, come on, Dean! It's not the first time we do something without being sure of it. And you have never complained. Not too much at least," the younger Winchester pointed out, rolling his eyes. He had been expecting that kind of comments. "And you were the one who kept saying that we have to try to stab it at the first occasion. What has changed?"

"I wanted to stab it with Gabriel's _archangel_ blade, since it has more possibilities to work. But now that we need him, obviously your _boyfriend_ isn't here" Dean answered, sounding fairly irritated. "I know that you've already called him. Which means that he hasn't answered you and that, most likely, he won't come for us. Which leaves us with the stupid knife. And, once again, I wonder why we're taking him with us." He saw his brother opening his mouth to talk back, but stopped him before he could say a word. "Don't try to defend him, Sam. I'm not in the mood."

Sam closed his lips, taking a deep breath and swallowing the harsh comments he had been about to make. "You're right, Dean. But we've dealt with worse things without anyone's help and we can do it this time as well," he stated instead, with determination. "If the knife doesn't work and we survive anyway, I'll personally kick Gabriel's ass and take his sword."

"Oh, that's my baby brother!" the older Winchester commented, satisfied, and the shadow of a grin opened on his lips. "But leave something for me. I want my part of the fun, too". He smirked more widely. "And I promise that I won't incapacitate him in anyway. You know, just in case you still were interested."

"Turn left," his brother ordered abruptly, rolling his eyes at the last part, but he couldn't hide a small smile.

They spent the rest of the ride in silence, the low music filling the air between them. Dean kept his eyes on the road, dutifully following Sam's directions, while the latter spent his time watching out of the window, when he wasn't looking at the map to make sure that they took the right turns.

It took them other twenty minutes to reach the place that the younger hunter had chosen for the ritual. It was a narrow desert vale, split in two by a crevice on whose bottom a wild river flowed. A bridge connected the two shores of the fissure, its metal arches rising from the ground against the flat landscape of the valley. The Impala slowed down as it crossed it and stopped some metres away from the edge. The Winchesters got out of the car, looking around to make sure that they were alone, before turning to face each other.

"Alright. Let's give this crap a try," Dean stated, gesturing the sandy soil in front of them. He wasn't completely persuaded that it was a good idea, but it was the only one they had.

Sam nodded and grabbed a paper bag from the back seat before crouching down to copy the seal he had found on the Internet. "Dean, there are some small sacks in there," he said pointing the bag, without looking away from what he was doing. "I need you to prepare a mixture with those herbs. They should be already minced."

"Yeah, sure," the other nodded, immediately getting to work. He hated doing that kind of things since he was much better at stabbing monsters then at mixing stuff, but he didn't complain. The quicker they did this the better it would be, especially if it worked as they hoped.

Once they were both done, the younger hunter lit up thirteen candles that he positioned on the vertexes of the intricate symbol he had drawn on the ground. Then he got up and went to stand next to his brother. The two exchanged a look and the elder passed him the paper with the translated ritual.

"I hope I'll read it right," Sam mumbled, looking at the foreign words. A pang of nervousness hit him, but he forced himself to ignore it."Alright. Do or die."

Dean nodded, resting a hand on his shoulder as an encouragement, and he started to read the Greek words aloud. The ancient sounds tasted strange on his tongue, but he tried his best to pronounce them correctly. The seal began to glow before them as soon as he was done with the first line and soon a cold wind rose, blowing hard and coldly around them. The candles remained lit in spite of that and a figure made of smoke started to take form inside the circle. The younger Winchester swallowed, fighting back the bad feeling that was growing in his stomach, and shouted the last words to cover the whistle of the wind.

Suddenly everything went still. The smoky shadow trembled in front of them, slowly taking female features, but its traits remained blurry. Then, without a warning, it threw itself forward. The two hunters quickly moved aside to avoid it, but the figure ignored them, going instead straight towards the bridge. The blast wave of energy that it created with its passing threw them on the ground, but they were left otherwise unharmed by it.

Charlene stared at the grey smoke flying towards her from her spot on the other shore of the crevice, paralyzed by the surprise. She had followed the Impala with her car until it had entered the vale. At that point she had parked in the first useful spot she had found and had continued by foot. It had taken her a while to find the hunters again because her phone was no longer working, but in the end she had managed to reach them.

The two brothers had been too busy with the preparation of the ritual to notice her as she had slowly approached the bridge. She had watched them work and then had walked even closer to try to understand what they were exactly doing. Then Sam had started to talk in a language she hadn't recognised and something had started to appear in the air in front of them. She had seen the thing gaining a more defined shape and then launching itself towards the young men, going past them and aiming for her. It had been then that it had it her. The monster was coming straight for her.

Charlie screamed loudly as she had done just a few times in her life, but didn't have the time to do anything else before the Ker hit her, surrounding her body with her smoky figure for a moment before dissipating.

"Charlie!" Dean called from the other side of the fissure, jumping on his feet. He had no idea of why the girl was there, but it didn't matter in that moment. He had seen the creature striking her at full and then disappearing, which meant nothing good. "Charlie! Are you alright?"

The young woman stared at him for some seconds and then started to walk towards the bridge, without answering. Her eyes were empty, her pupils impossibly large and her movements stiff and mechanic. It was clear to the hunters that she wasn't conscious of what she was doing.

"_Charlie_!" the elder shouted again, rushing towards the bridge in turn, immediately followed by Sam. Their new friend seemed possessed and something bad was about to happen, he could feel it. He had to do something.

Charlene stepped on the bridge before them and kept walking for a couple of meters, before stopping and resting a hand on the railing, her whole weight resting on the metal bar, watching the two running as fast as possible in the attempt to reach her.

It took a heartbeat. One moment before she was there, looking at them in the most natural of the poses. And one moment the railing had collapsed and she had fallen over the edge of the bridge, precipitating in the void, towards the wild waters.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

Castiel stumbled back, feeling his limbs trembling under the efforts he was imposing to his wounded body. There was blood running down his cheeks and dripping into his eyes and the hole in his left arm burnt like hellfire. His powers were too weak to heal his limbs rapidly and efficiently as they used to do and the fact was affecting him more than he had expected. He was trying hard to force himself to focus on his current situation, to ignore the wounds and the weakness caused by the blood loss, but his sight kept getting blurry.

He had experienced pain during battles before, but it had never lasted long enough to allow him to feel it for real. At times it had been very intense, like when he had died, but it was gone after few seconds, quickly becoming just an unpleasant memory. Now instead the stinging sensation ran through his body in violent waves, making it difficult for him to keep his mind clear. He was panting and his lungs were burning, a feeling that was so alien to him and that made him feel sick. He could sense his fading Grace trying to fix the injuries, but it managed only to keep him standing and he knew that it was dissipating quickly.

He turned his attention back to his three opponents, who were watching him with blank expressions, swords in hand, just a few feet away from him. They were wounded too, but not as much as him, and they didn't have to deal with his same unpleasant sensations. He had no idea of how they had found him. He was sure that he had hidden his presence too well to have been tracked down, so they had to have been patrolling the area and to have accidentally run into him. He needed to be more careful when he flew or he would end up again in the waiting hands of his enemies.

He glanced past them. They had been four at the beginning, but now one laid dead on the dirty floor of the abandoned warehouse, a hole in her chest where Castiel's blade had sunk into the flesh. He winced at the memory of the blood flooding on his hands and staining his coat. She was one of his opponents, but first of all she had been one of his siblings and he couldn't help painfully mourning her death. That fratricidal war was bringing them nothing but sorrow and loss. He wished heartily that they could find another way to solve their disagreement, a way that didn't involve blood and destroying their already broken family. But Raphael didn't seem to agree with him and saw that struggle as necessary to bring peace back both in Heaven and on Earth. And he, having to choose between fighting his brother in a bloody war and letting a new Apocalypse destroy humanity, would always choose the first.

"Surrender to us, Castiel. You've lost this war in the right moment when you've started it," one of the other angels ordered imperiously. "Come with us willingly and maybe Raphael will show you mercy, even if you don't deserve it."

"Heaven hasn't known mercy for a long time by now, brother," he claimed with determination, straightening his posture despite his wounds. He had no intention of showing his state of weakness to them, even if his opponents were already very aware of the poor state of his Grace and they had shown every intention of exploiting it. But there was no new to him. His sibling had been right when he had stated that he had been in disadvantage since the beginning of the conflict. And yet he had no intention of surrender. Death would be the only thing able to force him to give up. "And Raphael is a good example of what our home has become after our Father's departure. A place where brothers turn on brothers without a second thought."

"You may be right, Castiel. And surely there's no mercy in Heaven for the sorry life of a dirty betrayer like you!" Another stated coldly, his voice full of despise. He took a step towards the blue-eyed angel, his own sword pointed towards his chest. "Stop fighting back and we will grant you a quick and painless death."

"I won't surrender to you. Never. I have a task and it is too important to allow you to stop me before I have accomplished it. It is my duty and I, as the soldier I have been taught to be, won't leave it undone," Castiel talked back calmly but with force, moving backwards.

His back hit the half crumbled wall of the warehouse. He had no ways of escape left. He couldn't fight against the three of them and he was too weak to fly away. Besides, even if he had tried, they would have followed him immediately. He tightened the grip on his blade, his fingers made slippery by sweat and blood. He had only one option left. "I may have betrayed and sinned, but you are the ones who are at fault. I'm just doing what our Father has taught us, what angels have been created to do. I protect and love unconditionally all his creations. No matter how much sorrow it brings to me. I'll bear it all for their sake." His voice raised, showing a faith in his own words that he didn't have. "Call me a rebel, a traitor, but I won't kneel before a Heaven that has lost the core of its essence. And Raphael is just an ignorant asshole who thinks to have the right to rule us all!"

The first angel's eyes flared with rage at his words. "Be quiet! I won't listen to this shameful blasphemy any longer! You are no longer worthy to pronounce our Father's name, traitor! Your devotion to those unworthy creatures is sickening!" He shouted, disgusted and horrified. He lifted his sword, threatening. "We offered you the chance to repent and die as one of us, but you refused. Very well, Castiel, you made your choice. Give your life for your sinful cause, be happy to die for the unholy love you feel for this world. But you'll face the wrath of Heaven and you'll be the first angel after the Fall to experience true Hell!"

"I don't think so," Castiel exclaimed and moved away from the wall, revealing the angel banishing sigil he had drew on it. The bloody lines were smeared and irregular because of the shacking of the hand that had traced them, but the drawing was still enough precise to be effective. A small, bitter smile appeared on the blue-eyed angel's tired face. "I told you. I can't let you stop me." And he pressed the palm of his free hand on the seal.

One moment later a flash of light exploded around them and his opponents were gone. He managed to see the disbelief and the shock on their face before he found himself alone once again among the ruins. His legs suddenly gave out and he fell on the ground, his back limp against the wall, and his knees hitting the dirty floor hard. A low groan escape his lips and he slowly laid his head against the stone, his eyes looking at the dark sky through a hole in the ceiling. He knew that he should have left, found a refuge somewhere safer, but he was too tired to get up. His limbs were trembling as the effects of the adrenaline quickly faded away, leaving him numb and drained. He would stay there just for a while, to give his fading Grace enough time to heal the worst wounds.

His thoughts went back at the words he had pronounced. His brothers had spoken the truth, he had no right to talk about their Father, even if the real reason for that was different from the one they blamed him for. He had lost the privilege in the moment he had lost his faith in Him. He had spoken out of habit, letting his mouth shape words in which he had once truly believed, but whose meaning was now as empty as the void that was consuming him from the inside.

He let out a small sigh. Remembering the strength of his now lost faith brought him a burning sorrow, a melancholy that made his guts twist and his head spin. He felt dull, emptied and terribly _alone_. He wondered how humans could bear that absolute solitude, how they could live completely frozen out on each other and on the whole creation.

He had spent his entire existence being in constant contact with his siblings and the Host. Wherever he went, he could always hear their voices, feel their Grace. He had started to lose that link the first time he had fallen, during the Apocalypse, but at the time he was with Dean and the others and he had had too many things to worry about to notice the silence that was slowly enveloping him. But now that he was by himself, without a real idea of what he was looking for, the loneliness had become unbearable and consuming. He longed for the warmth and the comfort of Heaven, for the long lost feeling of belonging, for his brothers' and sisters' voices singing together with his own. He yearned for Gabriel's company and for his new human family, even if it meant bearing Sam's uncertain looks and Dean's harsh and hurt words. For the first time, in his life he felt the need of a hand outstretch just for him, ready to offer him the help he wished for, of a presence that could fill the void in his chest.

He clenched his fists, shaking his head. He wished for all that, but he didn't deserve it, not until he had found his way once again. That terrifying solitude was part of the price he had to pay for his sins, for losing himself and his faith. He raised a hand to his face and wiped away the blood that was still slowly falling from his forehead. No one would come for him, not yet. He still had much to do before that moment. He closed his eyes, shoving away those gloomy thoughts, and forced himself to remain still, waiting for his body to heal.

** ж**

The water was getting closer and closer, and Charlie could already almost feel its freezing touch. It wasn't how she had imagined her death, but she had to admit that there were worse ways. The impact would kill her on the spot, she knew it because that was how Anaplekte killed. Painfully but quickly. Nothing so nasty, even if maybe her body would never be found. But she didn't care. She had never been fond of the idea of being buried in some small space underground. The river was a better alternative all considered. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes again, waiting for the impact.

And then, suddenly, she was no longer falling. Strong arms wrapped around her body, holding it up, and the air around her became still and _warm_. She lifted her gaze and for a brief, endless moment she _saw _him. Three pairs of luminous golden wings, wider than she could have ever imagined, spread all around them as a shield, filling the sky. His eyes were made of pure light too and shone like suns. He was smiling at her, she knew it even if she couldn't see his face because he was completely made of light. His touch was warm and bright and she didn't remember the last time she had felt so good, so peaceful. So at home.

The next time she blinked, the vision was gone and she found herself being held bridal style in Gabriel's arms, the bridge metres away from them. It had been so quick that for a moment she had thought that she had just imagine it, but the memory of what she had seen was still _burning_ in her mind, confirming her that it had been no dream.

"Hey, girl," the archangel called gently, still grinning at her. "You alright?"

"You…You _saved_ me!" She stuttered, still too amazed by what she had just witnessed to be able to form a more complex speech. The fear and the shock that she had felt while falling had left no trace inside her, washed away by the creature's pure light. She tightened her grip around his neck, feeling overwhelmed. "I…I was…Thank you, Gabriel."

"Ah, don't thank me. That's the usual good guys' business," he stated nonchalantly shrugging. "And, besides, if you listen to what my little bro Cas affirms, that's what angels are supposed to do. They protect."

Charlie stared at him for a while. A part of her mind knew that she should be feigning surprise for the sake of her cover-up, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She could have always blamed the shock later for her lack of reactions, if she had been questioned about it. "Wow. I mean _wow_. You are…_gorgeous_!" Her voice said instead before she could stop it. "The most amazingly beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"Yeah, they tell me that. I'm a sex idol," Gabriel joked in a cheerful tone, winking at her. "But, sorry, darling, I won't give up this male form for you, even if I'm truly flattered. You know, I think Sammy likes me best with these features."

She laughed at that, so hard that for some moments she couldn't breathe anymore. The words hadn't been particularly hilarious, not _that_ much at least, but the feeling of relief and contentment that was washing over her was overwhelming and she couldn't do anything but let it dominate her. She had been attacked by a Greek death spirit, she had fallen down of a bridge and now she was in the arms of the archangel who had saved her. That was just too much for her.

"Charlie!" Dean's voice exclaimed, breaking the new blissful trance in which she had fallen once again. "Are you alright?"

She nodded and took a deep breath, fighting to find her voice once again. "Yeah…" She let out in a whisper. "Thanks to Gabe." She shot another adoring look at the archangel and then she cleared her throat. "Guys, I…I'm _so _sorry. I shouldn't have followed you. But…"

She stopped for a moment, trying to come up with something believable. Inventing completely wouldn't work, especially not when her mind was still so confused. She had to stick to facts she could prove and hope that the others wouldn't question her too much. So she decided that a half truth should be the best choice.

She took another deep breath. "I'm not a real journalist. I'm an IT employee at RRE. But I also investigate paranormal events during my free time. It's like…a hobby. And I know about what you hunters do. One of my friends did that job, it was him who introduced me into this world," she started to explain, carefully. "I…I came here because I heard about those accidents and…Well, the idea of a hunt seemed fun. Like…Adventure you know?" She moved her eyes among the three. "When I met you and saw that you were here for the same reason, I got suspicious. So I followed you around and I discovered what you were really doing here. I spied on you, I confess it. And I heard you talk about Gabriel…" She glanced back at the former Trickster who was still carrying her. "I just wanted…I just wanted to see the creature. I had no intention of ruining your work. I'm so sorry. It's just…I'm not good enough to be a hunter, but I wanted to help anyway against all this…But I messed up. As it often happens. I'm sorry, really. I…I don't know what to say. This is all my fault!"

"Calm down, Charlie. _Breathe_. The important thing is that you are fine now," Sam said calmly, trying to reassure the still trembling woman. He rested a hand on her shoulder. "We're not mad at you. Well, we are not happy about what you did either, but we'll deal with that later. Now we need to leave before the Ker comes back."

The other three nodded, deciding that there was no need to keep the conversation going there and then, and the group quickly headed towards the Impala. Charlie thought about telling Gabriel that she could walk on her own now, but the archangel seemed pretty stubborn about carrying her all the way to the car and so she decided against it. After all after the fall having something solid and warm to support her was a nice feeling.

She bit her lower lip. She really hoped that they would buy her story because confessing the whole truth would have been troublesome. She took mentally notice to have Crowley come to her once she had been alone and kick his hellish ass, metaphorically and if possible even literally. If she had ended up in that mess, it was all the demon's fault and there was no way that she would have let him get away with it, King of Hell or not.

She was set in the back seat and Gabriel immediately slipped next to her, while the brothers sat in the front. She mumbled something about her rented car, letting her voice shake to make them believe that she was still in shock, which was partially true, but not as much as they expected her to be. Dean asked her where she had left it and they went to pick it up, leaving to Sam the task to drive it back to the rental while the older Winchester took her back to the motel.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence. The hunter kept his eyes on the road, not even bothering to turn on the music, while the archangel busied himself with a bar of dark chocolate. Charlene in some moments could have sworn that she had heard him singing quietly in a language that didn't sound like anything earthly. However his whispers were so light that it could be just her mind tricking her as an effect of what she had seen when he had prevented her from falling in the river. Maybe the fact that angels sang was just a human legend. After all, there was no real reason why they should do that. She let out a small sigh. She was being ridiculous. She really had better stop thinking at all for a while.

Once they arrived to the motel, Dean insisted to walk her to her room and to check it before he left her alone, advising her to catch some sleep and telling her that him and Sam would come to talk in a couple of hours.

Charlie thanked him briefly, even if the prospect of having another talk didn't appeal her at all, and locked the door behind him. However, instead of following his advice and getting some rest, she grabbed her mobile and wrote down a brief text message for Crowley. "_Come to me, NOW_". She snorted and hit the sending key, not caring about the fact that her words sounded awfully like an order. She was too pissed off to worry about roles at the moment. The demon had better show up quickly or she would get even more furious. She threw the phone on the desk and sat down on the bed, tapping her foot impatiently.

Her wait lasted only few minutes because soon after Crowley materialized in the centre of the room, arms crossed and an inquiring look on his face. Charlie stared at him hard, pursing her lips in an annoyed frown, but remained silent. She wasn't going to make it easy for her boss. Not after she had almost died.

The Devil held her burning gaze for some time, wondering what was going on and especially _why _he knew nothing about it, but in the end the woman's stubborn silence forced him to give up. "Why have you called me? And why are you trying to kill me with your eyes?" He asked, in a slightly irritated tone. "I am a busy man, girl, I have no time for staring contests." Seeing that he wasn't getting any answer he rolled his eyes and questioned again: "Fine. What have I done this time to gain this annoying silent treatment?"

"Well, maybe you should ask what you have _not_ done, Crowley," Charlene replied in a harsh tone. "But I guess you've no clue, have you? Which means that you weren't watching over your precious spy as you claimed! Come on, I thought that the King of Hell always knew what his minions do."

"You are not exactly one of my minions, Charlie," the demon pointed out, trying to sound patient. That was why he hated humans. They rarely went straight to the point. "Unless you've changed your mind and now wish to become one."

"Touché, Mr Devil," she conceded, crossing her legs, but her hostility remained. Then she attacked him again. "It still doesn't change the fact that you lied to me! And that you're showing very little care towards your new ally!"

She lifted a hand to prevent her speaker from talking back. She was already trying hard to keep her voice low, the last thing she needed was to get even more irritated. She couldn't risk having one of the brothers or Gabriel hearing that conversation. "Let me finish before you start stunning me with your sophisms. You said you'd protect me from any eventual trouble but you didn't. An archangel did it in your place. Makes you think, don't you agree? And you told me that I had nothing to fear because the mission was easy and not dangerous. And you know what happened? The damned Ker threw me off a fucking _bridge_! Yeah, you heard that right. I almost died while you were distracted doing whatever you were doing. Oh, and, as a last thing, I had to come up with a nice excuse to explain to the Winchesters why I knew what they are and that they're travelling with an angel!" She puffed glaring even more murderously at him. "So, _darling_, what have you got to say in your defence?"

Crowley kept looking at her for a while, without speaking or moving, his expression perfectly blank. He seemed to be deeply lost in his thoughts, but his dark eyes weren't unfocused, even if it was impossible to say what was going on in his mind. Then, without a warning, a huge smirk opened on his lips and he let out a very amused laugh.

"Oh, Charlie, you're even better than I thought!" He commented looking truly impressed. "Few humans had had the courage to talk to me in such terms, hunters mostly, and among them the Winchesters of course. Those boys don't have the sense of proportion!" He started to pace around the room, his posture more relaxed. "Alright, I _may_ have underestimated the whole business. A little. But you're fine and that's what matters. I told you that the boys would have taken good care of you. That's why I wasn't watching over you. I trusted them to do it in my place."

"I wish I had that cup of hot chocolate again. I wouldn't miss the target this time," the young woman snorted, not pleased at all by his answer. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, but deep down she knew that she shouldn't have been surprised. After all she was talking with a demon. "So what? You're just dismissing my almost death as something that happened?"

"There's no need to be so upset, my dear Charlene. I'm admitting my slip and that's a lot, believe me," Crowley said in a quiet tone, offering her an almost evil grin. "Besides, what could you do to me? I'm the King of Hell. And I don't think that you'd be so stupid to tell the Winchesters about our partnership."

Charlie looked back at him with determination. She wasn't going to let him scare her with his threats. She could be a powerless human, but she still had some aces up in her sleeve. "Yeah, you're right. I can't do anything bad to you. But I hacked Sam's laptop yesterday and now I know how to play you some nasty tricks if I want." She allowed herself a small smirk, even if she couldn't help feeling a bit of anxiety. The demon was being so permissive because he didn't considered her a threat, but she had to be careful not to push too much, no matter how angry she was. "Devil's traps, holy water, and similar things. Nothing lethal nor incapacitating, but still painful and, especially, annoying for you."

Crowley's gaze harder and his expression took a displeased hue. "You are playing with hellfire, girl. Literally," he warned, his voice low and dark, even if there still was a bit of playfulness in it. "And I can assure you that you don't want to get burnt. It's quite an unpleasant experience. Trust someone who has been through it."

"Well, I think it could be worth the risk," she talked back firmly, but her tone was less sardonic now. "Besides, I think there's an archangel who likes me. He wouldn't be happy if you hurt me, don't you agree?"

The demon winced a little at that. "When I sent you to the boys, I hadn't expected you to make friends with them for real. And especially not with their angelic pets," he admitted, sounding unhappy. He took some steps towards the bed and stopped right in front of her. "And I don't like your new little habit of threatening me. I warned you before, I'm not a patient man, Charlene."

"That makes two of us. I'm not a patient woman either and I don't like to be threatened, but you do that to me all the time," the IT technician pointed out, looking up to be able to see his face. "I'm just trying to learn from the best."

They stared at each other for a while, the tension slowly filling the room. Charlie did her best to hide the uneasiness that had spread in her guts. She knew that she was pushing her luck maybe a little too much, but she was too proud to let the Devil have his way. She counted on the fact that Crowley still needed her for gathering information on the Leviathans and she was trying hard to ignore the little voice in her head that kept on telling that he could have always found someone else and that she was expendable for him. She needed to think that she had some kind of advantage on him or she would end up acting like a stupid puppet in his hand. Dying was almost a better alternative to that, if she had to be completely sincere.

The King of Hell could easily read the nervousness under the woman's firm gaze and mentally smirked seeing her attempts to look resolute and untouched by his threats. Her courage and her brilliance almost made up for the insolence she was showing towards him. But, on the other hand, he couldn't allow any kind of insubordination in his ranks. He had already too many nuisances with the demons who still didn't recognize him as the new ruler of Hell. If the rumour that he had let a mere human walk all over him spread around, controlling those idiots would become an even more annoying task. Charlie needed to learn to respect him, even if he was aware that he couldn't teach it to her in the usual manner. Did she want to be informed and treated as his almost equal? He could do that, if it was what it took to keep her at her place. But he wasn't going to forgive any mistake or disobedience. Even if he could be a bit nicer in that moment. The girl had a point after all. He had almost got her _killed_.

He studied the woman's expression. Once again she wasn't going to break the silence, most likely because she didn't know what to say. So it was up to him. He could just leave her there, fearing for the consequences of their argument or he could just end the matter. He decided that the second option was better, just for the sake of being nice.

"Complimenting me won't make me forget what you've just said, my dear," he spoke nonchalantly, but took a step back, giving his speaker the space she needed to breathe again. "But thank you, your last sentence was very flattering."

"It wasn't a compliment. Just the truth," she stated matter-of-factly, her look softening almost imperceptibly. She sighed. "Alright, no more children spats. But I won't forgive you so easily for my almost death." She frowned a bit. "Anyway. I told the Winchesters that I play at the supernatural detective in my free time and that I came here to investigate the accidents. I knew about hunters because my newly invented imaginary friend did that for a living and that I spied on them because I got suspicious. That's how I found out about Gabriel's nature. I think they've bought it, but now it will be much harder to make them trust me."

"You're a really good liar, Charlie. I should give you more credit…And I really need to find a way to get your pretty soul down in Hell with me. You'd be a great second-in-command," Crowley commented, offering her a seductive grin. "You sure you don't want to make a real deal? I'll give you whatever you want."

"Sorry but I don't wish to kiss you," she snorted back, refraining the urge to stick out her tongue. Working with a demon was a thing, but accepting to become one was a completely different story. "Stop trying to seduce me, your charm doesn't work on me! And we were talking about business."

"This _is _business, Charlie. And of the good kind," he pointed out, his smirk never fading. "But if you insist, let's talk about the Winchesters. How can I help you?"

She rolled her eyes in annoyance, but bit back the sarcastic comment that had come to her lips. No more spats, she had said it herself. If she had been still alive and free once that affair was over, she would demand to be _sanctified_. "Why don't you just tell me everything as a start?" She asked instead. "What happened between you and the guys? And why are there Leviathans going around the world?"

"I guess it's fair," the King of Hell conceded, opening his arms. "But if I tell you this story, you'll have to work for me. No more trial periods or ways out for you. And you'll have to treat me with the respect I deserve."

The young woman hesitated for a moment. Signing her deal with the demon was unavoidable, she had known it since the start, but she had hoped to be able to postpone as much as possible the moment when they would make it official. Now it was the time to make her choice. She could go on working keeping a false illusion of freedom and being offered just half truth or accept that she was screwed and get to know the whole story. She knew what the better option was. "Fine, you win. I'll be your official partner-in-crime from now on. But I still won't kiss you," she nodded after a few moments of silence. "Now, talk."

The demon seemed satisfied with her answer. The insulting argument had turned out to be convenient for him after all. Now the girl was totally under his control, at least as much as you could control someone as stubborn and brilliant as Charlene. But it would be enough for his purpose. He gestured to the small coffee table sat in an angle on the room. A bottle of scotch that hadn't been there just a few moments before was waiting for them. "I suggest we sit together and have a nice drink. It's going to be a long story, my dear."

** ж**

Sam watched his brother pacing backwards and forwards in their room from his spot on the bed. Dean hadn't stopped for a moment since he had come back from Charlie's room and the younger Winchester knew him well enough to be very aware of how unproductive it would be disturbing the elder when he was in such a bad mood. It was better leaving him alone with his thoughts until he stopped being completely pissed off.

He bit back a sigh. He couldn't blame his older sibling for being so upset. To tell the truth, he wasn't happy with the current state of things either. And not only about the fact that Charlene had almost died because they hadn't been paying enough attention.

The ritual had worked, which would have been good news for them if it hadn't been for the fact that Anaplekte had turned out to be much stronger than they had expected. She was totally out of control and seemed to care very little about the fact that they were after her. She was aware of her powers and, if they didn't find a way to imprison or distract her somehow, killing her would turn out to be an impossible task. But that wasn't what was making him so worried. He was sure that, with some time, they would find a way to bind the creature. The problem was that they didn't have time. The Ker had chosen her victim and she wouldn't stop until she had reaped her life. Which meant that Charlie was still in danger and the only way they had to save her was killing the demon before she murdered the young woman.

Something falling on his legs brought him back to the present, interrupting his gloomy thoughts. He instinctively lowered his eyes and found a big chocolate lollipop in his lap. Gabriel grinned at him from the other side of the bed, where he was lying slumped on the sheets. The younger hunter lifted his eyes with another sigh, but for once took the candy and unwrapped it, sticking it in his mouth. He could use a bit of comfort for once and, since the archangel seemed so eager to offer it, he should really exploit his favour. What he hadn't expected was the shorter man rolling on the mattress until his stomach was pressed against the human's lower back, one of his hands gripping at his thigh.

Sam let out a surprised yelp, almost letting the lollipop fall from his lips, and it earned him an amused chuckle from the former Trickster. Dean shot them a murderous look, but kept on pacing, deciding for once to ignore them.

"Gabriel! What the heck are you doing?!" The younger hunter exclaimed, turning his head so that he could see the archangel's face. "This is not the right time for your games!"

"Oh, come on, Sammy! Don't be such a bore!" Gabriel protested, resting his head back on the blanket. "You two have been doing nothing for more than an hour. I'm bored to _death_! Since we've nothing to do, you could at least try to entertain me a little!"

"I'm not in the mood for your whims now. Charlie is in danger and we still don't know how to protect her," the younger Winchester pointed out irritated, but he tried to keep his voice calm. He was too nervous to deal with that kind of behaviour at that moment, but he knew that getting angry would just bring him more nuisances. "Maybe, if you had been with us when we've performed the ritual instead of wandering off wherever you've been, we could have killed Anaplekte and we wouldn't be in this situation now. So, please, stop acting like a spoilt child and try to behave like the angel you are supposed to be."

"Hey, I saved the girl, remember? And, in my defence, I wasn't around having fun while you two were doing your hunter things," the archangel talked back, sounded offended. That was what he got for trying to cheer the young man up. A scolding. He really should stop being nice, it wasn't worth the trouble. "I _did_ have my own angel business to take care of."

A flash of regret passed in Sam's eyes. He kept on assuming that, when he wasn't with them, Gabriel was around making troubles, just to find out every time that he had been watching on Cas or fighting his brother. "Raphael?" he questioned, his voice much softer.

"More or less," the shorter man answered elusively. He looked away from the human for a brief moment, his face darkening with something similar to worry. He knew that the hunter had surely noticed, but he quickly changed the subject before the other could ask. He didn't want to talk about what he had been doing. It would just add more useless worries. It was better if he kept it for himself, at least for now. "Listen. I think you two already know what should be done to catch that damned bitch. She's after Charlie, so she'll come for her."

"And what should we do? Wait until she comes and tries to kill her again?" Dean interjected without a warning, stopping his pacing abruptly. He was wearing a deep frown that boded nothing well. "We've got no idea of how to stop that fucking thing! If our weapons don't work, Charlie will be the one to pay the consequences. And I'm not letting someone die just because we haven't been able to do our job correctly! Too many people have lost their lives because they've been involved with us and I'm fucking tired of that shit." His voice was bitter, but a hint of remorse could be heard in his harsh tone. "I won't just stand and watch it happen again."

Gabriel turned towards him, an even darker expression on his face. "Do you think that I don't know that? Or that I like the idea of using Charlie as a lure, Winchester?" He asked, pushing himself up and away from Sam. "Well, I _don't_. But, paradoxically, it's the only way we have to keep her safe. Anaplekte will come for her soon, no matter if we aren't alright with that. We can't hide Charlie from her. She's almost as powerful as a Fate and there's no running away from them if they want you dead. They're worse than hellhounds when on the job. So it's better if we get her to come when we're waiting for her."

"So what? We take Charlie somewhere isolated with us, perform the ritual again and then _hope_ that your bloody sword kills the Ker?" The older hunter snorted disapprovingly, throwing his hands in the air. "Oh, what a brilliant plan! It's perfect, because if it doesn't work Charlie, Sam and I will be the ones in danger. We don't have your Trickster magic, are you aware of that?"

"If you're implying that I'd leave you alone if the plan fails, consider me truly offended, Dean Winchester." The archangel stated, his tone becoming suddenly hard and cold. "I know you have all the reasons of the world not to trust me. For Father's sake, even _I_ wouldn't trust myself in your place. I mean, I've been a Trickster for centuries, I've spent a great part of my life playing bad and at times mortal pranks on people, almost not caring about anything but my own enjoyment. I'm a big asshole, I agree." He was wearing a determined expression, but his eyes never met the brothers'. "But those humans deserved what I gave them to some extent. I've never punished or put in danger someone without a good reason. And that's because I've never forgotten where I come from, I've never been able to erase my real identity. Even if at times I wished oh-so-badly that I could just let it all go."

His gaze darkened and he took some steps towards the older Winchester, stopping only when he was standing right in front of him. He finally allowed his golden eyes to sink into Dean's green ones. "Everything was great back then. Almost perfect. Then you two and Kali put me in the position where I could no longer pretend to be someone else. Loki the trickster is a good role for me, it suits many parts of my personality, but unfortunately it's not who I am. 'Cause the one who have faced Lucifer was Gabriel the archangel. And it's him who is standing in front of you now. Loki wouldn't give a fuck about you or Castiel or Charlie. He would have done what Dad told him and then would have wandered off leaving you up shit creek, but Gabe is so _stupid_ that he feels responsible for you dorks. And here am I, listening to your crap, Deano, while I could be enjoying myself with a much better company." His golden orbs were burning with indignation, but there was something else hidden deep under that. Uneasiness, _uncertainty_. "I'm trying, but, you know, it's not that easy to play the good archangel. Look at Luci, Mike and Raphie. They got it totally wrong, I dare to say. But I don't want to annoy you any further with my nostalgic monologue. It's too deep for your simple mind. I think I'll follow your example and tell you what you yelled me two days ago: go fuck yourself, Dean Winchester." And with that he turned away and headed for the door of the room, leaving the other two speechless.

Sam was the first one who recovered and managed to speak before the archangel could close the door behind him. "Gabriel! Where are you going?!"

The shorter man shot him a glare. "I'm going to check on Charlie. I'm not leaving you, just in case you haven't grasped that from my little speech" he answered gloomily. "Oh, and I'm _walking_ to her room, 'cause I can walk, you know? I don't always use my "Trickster magic", as you boys seem to believe!."

"Gabriel…" The younger hunter tried again, but his time the only answer he got was the door slammed before he could finish the sentence. He stared at it for some moments, even more shocked, and then turned towards his brother. "Dean, for fuck's sake!" He exclaimed, exasperated. "I know that you are upset, but was that really necessary?"

"That _what_, Sam?! It's not my fault if the bastard is prickly today," Dean protested loudly. What was up with everyone? Whatever happened they all seemed to be blaming him. "Is it "Dean scolding day" and I haven't been informed? I've just received an awful lecture from a _trickster_, so don't you dare to scold me too!"

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation, trying to calm down. "Alright. Gabriel has overreacted, I admit it. But you've been a stubborn ass and you aren't getting away with that," he said a bit more calmly. "He's _right_, Dean. I agree with you, I really do. I don't want to play with Charlie's life, but it's the best thing we can do in our situation. Besides, it's not the first time we do this. Do you remember the shtriga? _You_ were the one who wanted to use a _child_ as a lure. So you have no right to attack Gabriel for having your same idea. And don't tell me that back then was different because you know it's not true."

"You're defending him. _Again_. God, Sammy, you're awful," the elder commented shaking his head. He turned his back to his brother for a moment. "I remind you that you're the one who keeps telling all that "we can't trust Gabriel" crap. I totally agree with that, but at least I'm not being a hypocrite. I don't trust nor like him too much and I show it. I don't go from arguing with him to standing up for him every five minutes. You should make up your mind, 'cause this shit is starting to be annoying. But, of course, you must always act like a girl and fuss over everything."

"I don't…" The younger started to say, but was cut off.

"Oh, shut up. You _do_. Get real!" Dean exclaimed, throwing his hands up. Then he took a deep breath and lowered his voice. He was too tired to keep on shouting. And he was well aware that they had no time for that. They needed to take care of that damned Ker first. Maybe later he would go on giving his little brother his good dose of telling-off, but now they had their hands already full. "Alright. The asshole is right. We'll do as he said. But I'm not fine with it and we'll tell Charlie _everything_ before doing it. And it has better work, 'cause if it doesn't and we survive I'm going to kick Gabriel's ass so hard that I'll send him straight back to Heaven, in Raphael's arms." He marched over the door, opened it and stepped aside. "Now, go."

Sam shot him a confused look. "You've just freaked out on me and now you are kicking me out?" He asked, incredulous. "Just because Gabriel has treated you like that, it doesn't give you the right to do the same to _me_!"

"I thought I told you to stop being a whiny girl already. Come on, _out_," the older hunter talked back gesturing the corridor. "Go after him. I know you don't like having him mad at you."

The younger Winchester gaped at his brother astonished. "Are we going _there_ again?! Dean, we're in the middle of…" he tried to protest, but was interrupted again.

"Someone must tell him that we're following his freaking plan. And I need some time alone, so you go," Dean stated firmly one more time. He was losing his patience, so his sibling had better get out quickly. "And, in the meanwhile, you two can apologize to each other. Far away from here, where I can't see you."

The younger opened his mouth to talk back, but he changed his mind quickly seeing the look that the other was wearing. Complaining would have only made things worse, so he had better leave it alone. He got up from his bed and headed out of the room, just to have the door slammed behind him as soon as he was in the corridor. He sighed and shook his head. He was the one who had just recovered from a trauma, so he should be the one freaking out, not the one who had to mediate the things among his companions. But apparently he was the only one mature enough to do that. His brother was touchier than usual since Castiel's departure and Gabriel was clearly hiding something from them, which seemed to make him snappy in turn.

Charlie's room was in the other wing of the building, so he walked along the corridor until he reached the stairs set in the middle. He glanced at them. Something told him that, despite what he had said, the archangel hadn't gone straight to knock at the woman's door. He didn't need to be physically there to check on her. She was most likely sleeping if the shorter man hadn't gone there and so he decided to give the roof a try before going and disturbing her for nothing. He left the corridor and started to go up the stairs.

It turned out that he had guessed right. When he reached the flat roof he found Gabriel perched on the railing, his feet swaying in the void beneath him. He looked deep in thought, but he turned his head around for a moment when the hunter approached him, acknowledging his presence.

Sam kept walking towards him until he was standing next to him, and rested his elbows on the metal surface. "Dean agreed with your idea. We can do how you suggested. But we need to ask Charlie's permission first," he announced, looking down at the street. "I'm sorry for his behaviour. Leave him alone for a while. He'll calm down eventually. Even if you've exaggerated a bit as well." He turned towards the other. "What's on your mind, Gabriel?"

"You're too smart for your sake, kiddo," the archangel commented shaking his head, almost amused. "And your brother would be too, if he wasn't so busy being an idiot." He swung his feet a little and sighed. "I don't like this. I spent so much time hiding not to have to be involved in a war between my siblings and now I'm the one helping to keep another going."

The younger Winchester offered him a sympathetic look. He understood how the other had to feel. He and Dean had found themselves on different sides more than once during the years and he knew how painful was having to choose between your family and your ideals. "You don't have to do it if you don't want. Castiel must have told you too. You've completed your task, you're free to go. This is not your war."

Gabriel let out a quiet, bitter laugh that was much different from his malicious usual ones. "Oh, you're so wrong here, Sam. Of course this is my war. As the Apocalypse was, but back then I refused to acknowledge it, at least until I was forced to," he spoke in a dry tone. "I won't make the same mistake again. I'd be the biggest idiot of the universe. I don't have a real choice here." He turned towards his speaker. "It's you boys who should just tell me and Cas to go fuck ourselves, especially after what you had to go through during Luci's show. You should have enough of angels and heavenly messes. Or am I wrong?"

"No, you're right. We _did_ have enough. But whatever happens in Heaven usually affects Earth, like Raphael's plan, and we can't just stand and watch him starting the Apocalypse again. Not after all we have done to stop it," Sam answered in a quiet tone, holding the creature's gaze. "So it's our business as well. No matter if we don't like it. Besides, Cas is still family, I've already told you. And I won't abandon him when he is in need, nor will Dean."

The shorter man scoffed. "You know, the explanations for all the shit you throw on yourselves are two." He lifted his index. "One, you and Deano are the two biggest, masochistic fools I've ever met." He raised his middle finger. "Two, which is the one I like best, Dean's totally in love with my brother and is eager to throw himself in hellfire again for him, even if he is absolutely furious with Cassie at the moment. And you must have a _huge_ crush on me since you keep on standing up for me against Deano and bearing my whims." He snorted, but this time there was a sincere hint of amusement in his voice. "Oh, and of course Cas and I love you back to distraction. After all I'm giving up a new chance to have my wonderful life as a Trickster back just to stay with you dorks, and my brother is wandering off to find a way to be forgiven by yours, not caring about the fact that he is risking is sorry life."

"Not to mention the unhealthy attachment to family we all seem to share," Sam added, only half joking. He was grateful that the archangel was once again staring at the sky, so he hadn't noticed the embarrassed expression that had appeared on his face at the mention of his "huge crush". "God, we are so _screwed_. And not in the fun way, as you would say."

"You can say that again, Sammy boy!" Gabriel agreed, nodding in approval. He rested his elbow on his speaker's shoulder. "I can't wait for this mess to be over. I swear that, if we manage to get rid of the Leviathans and to survive Raphie's holy crusade, I'm taking you three away for a whole month on holiday, in the best place I can find and far, far away from any kind of monster. My treat, of course."

The hunter nodded in turn. "I'd like that…It's been a while since the last time I took a real break from this life. I can't even remember when it was," he said quietly closing his eyes for a moment. "Even if I don't think that Cas would come. He'll want to go back to Heaven and try to sort things out again firstly."

"Don't worry about that. I can assure you that, once this will be over, he'll be so fed up with our homeland that he'll gladly leave it," the archangel stated with a knowing smirk. He remained pensive for a moment. "Maybe I'll even manage to persuade him to join me…"

Sam shot him a sceptical look. "You want to convince Cas to…"go pagan" with you? Really?" he questioned. That was too much even coming from Gabriel. "This is an already lost battle, you know it, don't you?"

The former Trickster grin widened in a worrisome way and he sneaked his arm fully around the young man's shoulders. "That's what _you_ think, Samsquatch," he claimed solemnly. "Just wait and see. I'll surprise you."

The younger hunter kept staring at him for some moments and then shook his head in disbelief. He knew that insisting was just a waste of time and, besides, his mind would be saner while unaware of Gabriel's crazy plans. "We should go and talk to Charlie," he stated instead. "It's better if we do it without Dean. He wouldn't make it easy for us and I don't want him to scare her off with some inappropriate comment."

"Yeah, good idea," the archangel mumbled back, but he showed no intention to release him nor to move from his spot. Instead he grabbed a lock of Sam's hair and twirled it among his fingers. "She must be resting now. We should wait a bit before letting her know that her life is in danger again," he added distractedly after a moment of silence. "Poor girl, she's just had the greatest shock of her life! Let's let her recover a bit."

"Are you talking about her falling from the bridge or her being saved by an archangel turned trickster?" Sam asked with a renewed smirk. "Personally, I'd find the second far more scaring."

"They're two different kinds of shock. I meant both actually," the shorter man answered slowly, pondering his words. His time remained serious and for once he didn't pick up the chance to make a joke about the matter. "I think she may have caught a glimpse of my true form," he stated in the end, gaining an incredulous gaze from the human. "It happens at times, in rare circumstances. She was close to death and she still had a bit of the Ker inside her when I caught her. Anaplekte can see my true form, so Charlene might have seen a bit of it from her eyes."

"Amazing…" The younger hunter let out before he could stop himself. He looked away, his hazel eyes wandering on the sky. "I'm a bit envious. I mean, I've been wondering for a long time how angels look like when they aren't wearing their vessels."

Gabriel offered him a strange suggestive look. "You've already got your bite too, kiddo. Or have you forgotten?" He pointed out with a more lascivious smirk. "My voice, when you were…"

"Yeah, I remember that. Very clearly," Sam cut him off before he could launch into some obscene description of the ritual. "There's no need to talk about it."

"Still so shy, Sammy?" The archangel teased, pulling his hair a bit. "Alright, I'll leave it alone. What a pity. I was just thinking that making out would be a nice way to pass the time. Besides, people usually find rooftops a good place for kissing."

He leant forwards without waiting for an answer, quickly diminishing the distance between their faces, and stopped just a few inches away from the human's lips, smirking widely. It would have been so easy to just close that small gap and turn the hunter into a moaning mess with his Grace. But he decided that it could wait. He was having a lot of fun just teasing the other.

Sam's eyes widened in surprise and he felt a bit of heat colouring his cheeks, but he ignored it and shoved the creature away after a brief moment of hesitation. Deep down he had actually considered the idea of allowing Gabriel to kiss him. The sensation of the Grace on his skin was still vivid in his memory and so was the feeling of safety that he had felt in the archangel's arms. However, he pretended not to have ever had that thought. He wouldn't let that idiot play him. He still had some dignity and self-respect left.

"Fuck off, Gabe. Idiot…" He muttered, glaring hard at the former Trickster before moving away from the railing. "Come on, let's go and talk to Charlie before Dean decides that he's done with his alone time and does it before us."

"You are no fun, gigantor! What's one kiss after what we've done? You should try to enjoy life more!" The archangel whined unhappily, but seeing the look that the other was still giving him he decided that playtime was over and jumped off next to him. "Fine, let's go to Charlie. And I'll try to behave in front of her."

"Of course you will. Now that she knows what we are there's no more need for you to play the part of the boyfriend," Sam pointed out, not even trying to hide his satisfaction at Gabriel's groan of protest. "So much bad for you."

The former Trickster grimaced. "I hate you right now. You damned killjoy."

The hunter shot him an amused look. "Keep on telling yourself that, Trickster. Everyone knows that it's not true."

Gabriel couldn't help grinning. That was why he enjoyed Sam's company so much. They could discuss almost anything without ending up having a fight and the human often had an answer ready to his comments. He caught the other's eyes as they went back inside and he got the impression that the young man was having similar thoughts. He beamed a bit at that before he could stop himself, a warm feeling spreading inside him against his will. He mentally groaned. Damned Sam Winchester. He was making him become far too soft for his likings.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

When his feet touched the ground once again, Castiel found himself in a thick wood. The old trunks towered him, rising to cover the sky with their luxuriant foliage. He knew that he was still in the country that the humans now called United States, but he hadn't been paying attention while he was flying and so he couldn't have named the part of it where he was now. If he had concentrated hard enough he could have found out in a few moments, but he was still weak from his last fight and he had been flying without a break for more than a day. He needed to save his energies, just in case he chanced upon a group of Raphael's followers again. Luckily, he couldn't sense any angelic presence in that place, which meant that maybe he would be able to find a good refuge where to rest for a while before resuming his search.

However, before he could move from his spot, a scream pierced the air without warning, followed by the sounds of numerous gunshots. It was faint and the woman who had let it out had to be miles away from him, but he could hear it clearly. It was a request for help, even if the words were shaped more like a curse. There was something oddly familiar in her tone, even if he was sure that he had never heard that voice before. Something that tasted sweet and smelt like gun pounder and car oil. Without a second thought, he spread his wings and flew towards the source of the yell. Even in his current state, he was still an angel and he wouldn't ignore a request for help.

He landed near a small clearing, hidden by the trees, just in time to see the unknown woman shooting again at his aggressor, who let out a pained grown but didn't even stumble. A demon, his mind supplied immediately. He spotted an empty bottle a few meters from them, which had to be filled with holy water considering the burns on the hellish creature skin. Castiel turned his attention back on the woman. She was young, in her early thirties, with reddish brown hair and dark blue eyes. From her equipment he quickly deduced that she was a hunter, but her current opponent had to have taken her by surprise and now she was clearly at disadvantage.

In that moment the woman cursed under her breath, snapping him out of his thoughts, and let her emptied magazine fell on the ground. The demon exploited her brief distraction to charge, hitting her right in the chest and sending her on the ground. Then the hellish creature jumped on her, stretching his arms out towards her neck, but before his dirty nails could touch her skin, the angel was behind him and his blade sank without hesitation in the demon's back. The latter let out a strangled groan and his eyes flashed, leaving a dead, empty body in Castiel's arms. He tossed it away without caring about the blood that had stained his trench coat and stared at woman, who was looking up at him in turn, surprised but clearly relieved.

"Hey, man, thanks!" She let out in the end, recovering from the shock. "Nice timing. That bastard was just about to lay his filthy hands on me!"

"You are welcome," he said in his usual atone tone and then started to turn away, but his speaker stopped him.

"Wait! Is that all? You save my life and then disappear?" She protested, helping herself on her feet. She fixed her clothes a bit, running her hands on them to remove the soil bit. "Can I at least know the name of the knight in shiny armour who has so nicely protected my ass?"

"I'm not a knight. I'm just a soldier. And I'm not wearing any kind of armour," the angel pointed out, his eyebrows knotting in confusion. "But you are right. My name is Castiel."

"Wow, an odd name for a weird dude, isn't it?" She commented, raising an eyebrow, but there was no mockery of hostility in her tone. Then she offered him a hand. "Well, nice to meet you, Castiel. I'm Shane."

Castiel stared puzzled at the outstretched arm for a moment, then he remembered that once Sam had explained him that shaking hands was a common form of greetings among humans. He hesitantly took it. The woman had a firm handshake and so he felt allowed to press a little harder in turn. "Nice to meet you," he repeated awkwardly.

"Not a people person, are you?" Shane commented, with a small grin. "Well, I'm not usually too sociable either, so we stand together." She eyed his angel blade. "Nice weapon, by the way. It's some kind of demon-killing knife?"

"It can kill many creatures, not only demons," the angel answered looking down at the sword as well. "My Father gave it to me a long time ago, when I joined my brothers on the field."

She nodded in understanding. "Oh, so hunting's a family thing for you too. I work with my cousin and my uncle. We were after a wendigo, but those demons attacked us and we were forced to split up. I hope they are fine."

Castiel was tempted to say that he had never hunt in his life, but, remembering how hunters usually reacted when he said that he was an angel of the Lord, he decided that letting her make her own assumptions was the best thing. "I see. I used to work with my…" He hesitated for a moment. What was Dean to him? He had always been much more than a charge, since the very beginning. And the hunter once had stated that he was family for him. "With my best friend and his brother. Recently my own brother has joined us, but…I had to leave."

Shane studied him for a moment, as if she was considering his words. "Let me guess. You had a bad argument with your best buddy, hadn't you?" She said in the end in a sigh, offering a sympathetic smile. "It's really nasty when it happens. And if you're a hunter is even worse. The last time my cousin and my uncle had a fight, my uncle left us on our own for almost a month. We were worried sick. But he came back in the end. And you should go back too. When you are ready, obviously."

He stared at her in wonder. That human was smart and sensitive, in spite of her straightforward ways. She amazed him to some extent. "That is what I will do. It is what truly matters to me. I need to show Dean that I can earn his forgiveness," he nodded quietly in agreement, his eyes becoming unfocused. "Besides, I promised my brother that I would come back."

"Dean's your best friend, isn't he? Well, he's a lucky man. You seems a good guy, Castiel, and with this I mean the type who knows what's really important and who fights hard for it," Shane commented crossing her arms. "He'll forgive you. And if he doesn't, well…Then he's an idiot. And so much bad for him. Loyal friends are so rare nowadays…"

She kept silent for a while, lost in her thoughts, then she spoke again. "Listen, why don't you join us for a while? You can hunt with us. Just to have a place where to stay while you're considering what you should do. I'm sure my uncle will have nothing against it once I'll tell him that you've saved me. He's got a soft spot on me." She winked at him playfully, smiling again. "But don't tell him I said that."

The angel considered the offer for a moment. He knew that he should refuse on the spot. He had no time to lose and especially he would risk drawing his siblings' attention on the group of hunters, putting their lives in danger. But, on the other end, deep inside, he felt that he'd like to stay, even if just for a bit. The hunters would offer him a shelter and a place where to recover his strength. Besides, Shane reminded him, in an odd way, of Dean and he was starting to miss the hunter's presence a bit too much. He shook his head. He had no right to be selfish. His mission came first.

"I thank you for your kind often, but I do not wish to burden you or your companions with my presence," he answered in the end, his eyes finding the woman's again. "Do not feel compelled to offer me something in exchange for the help I offered you. That is just what I do."

"Ah, why do you have to be so formal? What do you have up your ass?" Shane complained with an exasperate sigh. She crossed her arms. "Listen, if you think that I'm asking you out of gratitude, then you're wrong, hottie. I'm not that kind of person. I said "thanks" and that's it. No other shit. I'm asking because we could use such a good hand as yours for our current hunt and because you have gorgeous eyes and I want to be able to look at them for more time. Got it?"

"They usually told me I have a stick there, but I guess it's just a way of saying," Castiel muttered with a frown. Humans' use of language was so complicated at times. Then he titled his head a bit, studying his speaker. "Are you…_flirting_ with me?"

"Oh my goodness, you're even weirder than I thought!" The hunter exclaimed, laughing hard. "Where are you from? Mars? You act like you don't really know how to be human." Her smirk widened a bit, maliciously. "And, since you asked, well I might be doing a little flirting. You look older than the guys I usually consider, but you're worth the change." She slapped his arm lightly. "Ask whoever you want, they'll tell you I have good tastes."

Castiel kept simply staring at her, not really knowing what to think or say. That human was a mix of Dean and Gabriel and he wasn't sure that it was a good thing. He didn't know how to behave around her. He had detected playfulness in her tone, but there was the same bit of longing that the older Winchester's eyes bore when he looked at a beautiful woman. Was Shane trying to let him know that she would be interested in having a sexual intercourse with him? Or was he just misreading the ambiguous signals she was sending him? Whatever the truth was, he was starting to feel uncomfortable.

The woman had to notice his uneasiness, because she bent down to pick up her gun and gestured the forest to him. "So, are you coming? I need to find my family and a little of help and company would be welcomed," she stated with a more sincere smile. "Besides, you and your blade are good at kicking demons' asses. I'd be glad to have your assistance if I met some other motherfucker."

The angel hesitated again, looking at her tapping foot. It was clear that she wouldn't take a "no" as an answer, but he still knew that he shouldn't let her force him to stay. He needed to find his answers and to get back to his companions. He had left them alone dealing with Raphael and the Leviathans, and he couldn't waste time.

He finally opened his mouth to tell Shane that, but she was quicker and grabbed his coat sleeve, pulling him to make him walk with her. "Come on, Castiel. I don't have all day. And neither do you," she claimed firmly. "And I'll have you get a change of clothes. The ones you are wearing are awfully dirty. What have you being doing? Wrestling a werewolf in the dirt? They are all torn and stained!"

Castiel looked down, paying attention to the state of his clothes for the first time. Shane was right. There were many tears in his shirt and some in his trousers. Not to mention the various spots of dried blood and filth. He hadn't noticed before because he had been too preoccupied with the poor state of his Grace. Besides, being him an angel, those physical details didn't affect him. Not yet at least. Usually he automatically cleaned himself after every battle, but since he had got weaker he had started to neglect it to spare energy.

"I apologise for my poor state," he said emotionless, letting her guide him. He could have easily freed himself from her grip whenever he wanted, but he decided that he wasn't in the mood for discussing with such a stubborn person. "I do not wish to give you any trouble, Shane."

"Ah, don't mention it. In our job getting dirty is a must!" She answered, shooting him an amused glance. "And, once again, stop being formal. It's creepy, dude!"

He frowned a bit, not understanding what was wrong in his talking, but he remained silent, not wanting to get more confusing comments about his behaviour. He pulled his arm a bit and the woman let it go, but she glanced back at him to make sure that he was still following.

They walked quickly for almost half an hour, talking quietly. Shane told him that they were heading to a small cabin, which was the meeting place where she and her companion hunters had set their base. If one of them got separated from the others, they would meet there. She also told him something more about her family. She had never had a good relationship with her parents and that was why she had been living with her uncle, her mother's brother, since when she was fifteen. He had raised her as if she was his daughter and had introduced her to the hunt much before she had moved in with him and her cousin. Her aunt had left before she was born and she had never known much about her. Apparently she and her uncle didn't agree on his will to keep on hunting even after their son's birth and so she had left him for a more normal life.

Castiel listened with sincere interest, even if he could have easily read that information on her soul. Human relationships were so complex and much different from how angels bonded with each others. He had learnt it while staying with the Winchesters, but it still surprised him. "Why did you choose to hunt?" He asked in the end, slightly puzzled. "You could have had a normal life, with much less danger."

"You see, normalcy has never been my thing. Since I was a child I wanted to do something that could save people's life," Shane answered, shrugging. "I thought about becoming a doctor, but then, one night, while I was staying at my uncle's, I woke up in the middle of the night and I saw it. A ghost was standing next to my bed. I screamed and my uncle came with a box of salt. Apparently the ghost was linked to an object he was trying to destroy and he had messed up a bit. After hearing the story, I decided that hunting was my path. That's it." She smiled, but her expression held a hint of melancholy. "I must admit that at times this is very tiring and I wish I could have a normal day. But when I see the relief in the eyes of the people we save…Well, that's the best thing in the world and I would never give it up." She looked at him curiously. "What about you? You referred to yourself as a soldier before. What did you meant?"

"I am a soldier, as all my siblings. That is why I was born, to fight and follow my Father's will," he replied, his expression blank once again. Once he would have felt pride telling that story, but now those words were stained with a deep bitterness. "Then one day the second eldest rebelled and was chased away. From that moment our family did nothing but break every day a bit more. Father left and none of us knew what we should really do. I spent much time following orders without asking, but the doubt slowly filled my mind. I've kept it dutifully at bait, as I was supposed to do, but then I met Dean and everything changed. I fought my family and I lost everything for him. Now I can say that he and Sam, his brother, are my family, even if it pains me greatly every time I see what has become of my home."

The young woman grimaced. "Wow, that sucks. I'm sorry if I sound insensitive, but it's true," the woman commented shaking her head. "Was your father some kind of tyrant? Because that's the impression I got. Welcome to the club of the children with shitty parents, pal." She let out a bitter chuckle. Then her smile softened. "Oh, and, let me tell this, your Dean guy will be much more than an idiot if he doesn't forgive you. You gave up your life for him, for fuck's sake! If I was in his place I would marry you!"

"My Father is a great…man, but He has never being good at being a parent, as humans mean it. But it is as it should be. Besides, I've resigned myself not to count on him," the angel replied slowly. Shane's words were nice and comforting, and _true_, but, since she didn't known, she couldn't understand. God could never be considered the kind of father she was used to. His face darkened at Dean's name. "No, you are wrong. I betrayed his trust, I don't deserve anything from him. That's why I need to earn his forgiveness."

"I'm not sure I got the meaning of your words, but it still sucks. Anyway, your own business, I won't ask further," Shane said, raising her hands. Then she turned and punched him on the shoulder. "Now, don't talk crap, Castiel. Betrayal, my ass! I don't know what happened between you two, and I don't want to know, but whatever it is it's not enough to delete everything you have given up for him. How was that phrase? Ah yeah! Errare humanun est. We all make mistakes, it's normal. But, in my opinion, you still deserve forgiveness."

"_Humanum_…" Castiel repeated gloomily under his breath. He was no human, that rule didn't apply to him. He was an angel, he was supposed to be a guardian, a guide, the one who knew the right path. But he was no longer any of those, and maybe he had never been after all.

"Come again?" the human asked, oblivious to his thoughts.

"Nothing," he replied shaking his head, his tone blank once again. He pointed the small clearing ahead of them. "I think we have reached out destination."

Shane shot him a questioning glance, but since he refused to look back, she shrugged and nodded. That guy got weirder and weirder as the time passed. "Yeah, it's the cabin. Come on, let's see if they're inside."

She quickened her pace and stepped into the field, followed closely by the angel. The cabin was a small wooden building, with colourful curtains on the window and even some pots of flowers. It didn't look like the refuge of a family of hunters, which was a good cover-up not to draw unwanted attention. A man in his fifty was seated on one of the benches next to the entrance door, busy cleaning a shotgun. He immediately lifted his eyes as they crossed the border of the clearing, pulling out a gun apparently from nowhere, but he immediately lowered the weapon as his eyes landed on the young woman.

"Shane!" He exclaimed, his voice filled with relief. "We were getting worried! Are you alright?" He moved his attention on Castiel, who had respectfully remained behind as Shane had moved forward to meet the man. "Who's that?"

"Uncle Thomas! I'm sorry, but those demons were a real nuisance. I didn't meant to worry you or Rich," she answered resting her hand on her uncle's shoulder and squeezing it as he did the same. Then she gestured the angel. "This is Castiel. He killed the bastard that was trying to strangle me. He got me out of troubles. He's a hunter too."

Thomas's expression relaxed at that and he stepped forward to offer his hand to Castiel. "Ah, good to hear that. Nice to meet you. I'm Thomas Bale. Your full name, son?" Then he raised his voice. "Richard! Get your ass here! Your cousin's back!"

The angel blinked as he was called "son", but didn't comment and shook the hand he was offered. "My pleasure, sir," he answered politely after a moment, noticing that the man's handshake was very similar to his niece's. She had to have learnt it from him. His mind went back to his current predicament. His kind didn't have surnames, but it would be difficult to explain it to his new companions. He thought about using Dean and Sam's surname, but he remembered that they were very well known among the other hunters. "Castiel Novak," he said in the end. Jimmy wouldn't mind him using his name. After all he already wore the man's body.

"Novak? I've never heard that name. And I know a lot of hunters," the older man commented pensively. "Why's that?"

"My family doesn't like getting involved with the others," the angel answered quietly. It was the truth after all. His kind hadn't walked the Earth in a very long time and it rarely got involved with other species, if not for battle. Human prophets were a rare exception. "But I'm not following that policy anymore."

"Yeah, he used to hunt with other two guys, but they split up," Shane offered, shooting her uncle a glare that seemed to say "mind your own business and leave the poor guy alone". However, she didn't have the time to add anything else because in that moment the door opened and a man who looked a couple of years older than her joined them. He had her same eyes and playful smile.

Richard grabbed his cousing and pulled her in a hug. "Hey, Shoo! Here you are!" He exclaimed, grinning widely. "I told dad that you were just busy kicking some demonic ass!"

"Sure as hell!" She joked, hugging him back before freeing herself from his grip. "Rich, this is Castiel, the one who actually kicked the asses."

"Hey there!" The young hunter greeted, stretching his arm toward the angel. "I'm always happy to meet another colleague. And thanks for taking care of Shane. She's a bit reckless at times."

The woman punched him at that. "That's not true!" She protested loudly, as his cousin shook their guest's hand. "Don't listen to him."

"So, my niece said you didn't work alone," Thomas interjected, speaking directly to Castiel, before the other two could start discussing. "Who were your companions?"

"Dean and Sam Winchester," the angel answered simply, not wanting to offer more information until he had found out how much the hunter knew exactly.

"John's sons? Those Winchesters?" The older man questioned, raising an eyebrow, while the younger humans looked at him impressed. "I didn't know they work with others."

"I just join them when they call for me," Castiel explained calmly. As he had expected, they knew his friends, but luckily they didn't seem hostile. "I stay on my own most of the time, unless Dean wants me to…hang around."

"I see…You must be good if you work with them," Thomas mumbled, nodding. "Well, you'll tell me about this later." He turned towards the other two. "Richard, go and cook some food. We've skipped lunch and I bet that our guest has as well. Shane, show him the guest room. And give him some spare clothes. He really needs to change."

"Yessir!" The two youths exclaimed playfully and Shane grabbed Castiel's sleeve again as Richard and Thomas preceded them inside the cabin.

"I told you he would have liked you," she whispered with a wink. Then she raised her voice again. "Come one, weirdo guy, come with me," she ordered, pulling him towards the door. "And so your Dean is the famous Dean Winchester! I heard some great stories about him and his brother. Good, now I'll get to know which are true and which are just legends!"

Castiel followed her inside, letting her chat enthusiastically, without really paying attention to her words. He wasn't used to be so easily welcomed. He had the feeling that partially he needed to thank the Winchesters' fame for it, but it wasn't just that. Shane seemed to like him for what she had seen of him and the other two humans trusted her judgement. Not to mention the fact that they were all very grateful towards him for having saved the girl's life. The sensation that the thought raised in his chest was alien but no unpleasant. Maybe he could stay just for a little while as Shane had asked. He could learn something from them. Yet, one again he had the distinctive feeling that the place he needed to find wasn't with them, as it hadn't been by Sentona's side. He was still far from finding his path.

** ж**

"Excuse me, _what_?!" Charlie exclaimed, looking at the archangel and the human who were standing in front of her. "I must have got it wrong. You can't be asking me _that_."

"Charlie, I don't like the idea either, but it's the only way we have to get rid of Anaplekte," Sam insisted patiently but firmly. "It's the only way to keep you _safe_."

When he and Gabriel had reached the woman's room, they had found her awake, busy with a glass of good scotch. Luckily for her, Crowley had remembered to clear any trace of his passage before going back to his business, leaving behind just a drink for his now official partner-in-crime. Talking with the demon had been good for her, apart from the fight they had had when he had joined her. She was feeling calmer now, even if the story she had heard had left her a bit shaken. She had guessed that whatever was under the mess the Winchester were trying to fix had to be complicated, but he had never expected their history to be so fucked up. Her life was neat and perfectly regular in comparison. She had felt a bit bad for them, but what had amazed her the most was the fact that, after everything that had happened to them, they were still together and kept going on. She wouldn't have had the strength to do that in their place.

Still animated by the admiration, she had almost beamed at Sam when he had knocked at her door and let him and the archangel in immediately. However, her good mood had quickly changed as she had heard what they had come to tell her. At first she had refused to even consider the idea, but then Gabriel had assured her that there was no escape from a Ker once she had chosen you as her victim, forcing her to reconsider. But the idea of playing the lure still didn't thrill her.

"You're sure that there's no other option? I could try to find that imprisoning ritual you've talked about," she proposed, shifting uncomfortably on the bed. "I'm very good with computers. If there's something on the internet be sure that I can find it."

"I'm very sure of this, Charlie," the younger hunter agreed calmly. "But the fact is that there's nothing to find. The ritual was lost centuries ago, much before the web era. There are no traces left. I checked."

"Come on, girl. I know it's scaring, but I swear that I won't let that bitch hurt you," Gabriel interjected, offering her his best grin. "Archangel here, remember? I saved you once, I can do it again if something goes wrong. I won't let a stupid Greek demon touch my favourite girl." He shot a glance at Sam. "Or my boys. Nope."

Charlie looked at them not convinced at all. "Yeah, of course. I know, but there's still so much I want to do in this life." She sighed defeated. "But I also understand that I have no choice here, even if you are asking my permission. Right?" She glared at the young man who had opened his mouth to protest. "Sam, don't you dare. I don't want to hear about ambiguous possibilities. I don't give a fuck about them. If I have to be the lure for the bitch, then I'll be her plaything. But I swear that if you get me killed I'll come back from the grave as a vengeful spirit and I'll haunt you all."

"Don't worry, Charlie, that is not going to happen," Sam promised, laying a hand on her shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "Also because I could never hunt you."

She nodded taking a deep breath. She hated her life in that moment and the temptation to pick up the phone and yell at Crowley again was strong. "Good. So, when are we doing it?" She asked instead. Postponing the dreadful moment would just make her more anxious, so it was better if they got straight down to business.

"We can leave now if you are ready, sunshine. There's still light and this is good because the Keres are stronger at night," the former Trickster answered, pointing the window. "Deano will go on bitching later. You're our top priority right now."

"Fine. Let's go then. The sooner it will be over, the sooner I'll feel better," Charlie mumbled, even if she was everything but ready to face death once again. She had thought that almost dying once was enough, but apparently there was a Fate that didn't agree and that wanted to show that it could do even worse. She could almost die _twice_ in the _same_ day.

"I'll go and get Dean," Sam announced then, heading towards the door. "You two can go and wait for us near the car. We'll be there soon."

"Sure, Sammy. See you in a few minutes," Gabriel agreed, waving his hand. He knew that he shouldn't act so cheerfully, but he couldn't help it. The whole plan looked too much like one of his pranks. He turned towards Charlie. "So, shall we go?"

The IT technician nodded, even if reluctantly, and followed the creature in the corridor, stopping to quickly lock the door. If she made it alive, she would want to find all her things to be in their place. None of them spoke a word as they went down the stairs, leaving the building to reach the parking lot set in the back yard. The Impala stood out among the other cars for his cleanliness. Apparently Dean had polished it too while he was washing away the fake paint.

"They still haven't figured out that it's me," the archangel stated without a warning, a satisfied grin playing on his lips.

The young woman turned towards him, giving him a confused look. "What?"

"The pranks. They still accuse each other," Gabriel explained, looking awfully amused. "And I'm planning to keep going until they find out that they've been fighting for nothing once again. Their faces will be priceless."

"If I hadn't seen you with these eyes, I wouldn't believe that you're an archangel," Charlie commented shaking her head, but a small smile appeared on his face. "You're so different from the idea of angels I used to have. Which is not bad. I like you. You're a bitch, but you're fun, and you can be serious if needed."

"You really think that?" The former Trickster asked, surprised by her words. "That I'm…good? You don't know what I've done. I've abandoned my family because I was a coward and I spent my life on Earth eating sweets, sharing random beds with random people and especially playing very bad pranks to keep me entertained. I _killed_ people, Charlie. Not innocent ones, but still…Someone could argue on the fact that they deserved the fate I chose for them."

"But you're here now, aren't you? You're watching over Sam and Dean to help your brother," she pointed out as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "You've proved that you can be awful, but now you're showing that you can be good too. What matters is what you choose to be. Besides, if you just have a perverse sense of justice, we can deal with it, if you restrain yourself, can't we?" She chuckled at his astonished expression. "Yeah, I can be a philosopher if I want."

"That's not…Thank you, Charlene Bradbury," Gabriel found himself stuttering out. He grimaced internally. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't _stammer_ in such a showy manner. "Or whatever your true name is," he added to make up for his faux pas.

Charlene snorted at that, but she couldn't help another amused grin. Then a thought hit her. "Gabe, I have a question. You three had been acting and all for the sake of secrecy and so on," she started slowly, waving her hands a little. "But you and Sam? Was that just an act as well?"

The former Trickster raised an eyebrow, not knowing if he should laugh at her interrogative or take it seriously. "Now, I understand that angel-slash-mortal sex could sound hot, and it is, I can confirm it but…You're about to risk your life and you want to know about my romantic life? You're weird, girl, you know?"

"I'll take it as a compliment. And, just for the record, you're weird too, Mr Archangel," the woman talked back crossing her arms and putting on a fake offended expression. "And yes, I want to know about your romantic life. I prefer not thinking about what we're about to do. It would just make me panic. So, come on. Distract me!"

"You've a point, girl," the archangel conceded with a small nod. He could see how nervous the human was, even if she was doing a good job hiding it. "Now, to answer your question…" He started, but he let his voice trail off almost immediately, looking thoughtful for some moments. "Well, yes and no. I've been dead for more than a year, then Dad had brought me back for Cassie. I slept with Sam. Once. Less than a week ago. But it was ritual sex, angelic duty you could say. I liked it. Quite a lot. And yes, I'd do it again if I had the chance. I know you're not interested, but you have to admit that Sammy has a wonderful body. I spare you a detailed description, but trust my word."

Charlie nodded in understanding. "He is good-looking and appealing, for a guy," she agreed, a small smile playing on her lips. "So you like _like_ him?" she pressed then. "Or he's just a wonderful, hot fuck buddy?"

"I don't know if I can say that I like him in that way," Gabriel answered, feeling slightly uncertain. He hadn't thought hard about the matter. He had just been happy with admitting that he had a certain interest in Sam, on both a personal and a physical level, but he had never stopped to consider the _emotional_ aspect of his involvement. He hadn't felt the need to. He had never dealt well with emotional attachment and all his previous attempts at it hadn't ended well. "I developed a soft spot on him quickly after our first meeting. He's smart and I enjoy his presence."

Charlie waved a hand, as to push him to go on. "And you want to have sex with him again," she added for him.

The former Trickster raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

The woman rolled his eyes. Shouldn't the creature in front of her being almost all knowing and millennia old? "That's what it's called a "crush", Gabriel."

The archangel blinked. "Oh," he let out, just to realise in horror that he was starting to sound like Castiel. He loved his younger brother, but at time the younger angel was simply embarrassing and he didn't want for any reason to act like him. He had a reputation to defend. "I guess you're right. It was kinda obvious, if I have to honest," he amended with a shrug. "It happens. Angels are not immune to attraction, especially if they have spent as much time as I have among humans. It's not my first and won't be my last."

It was Charlene's turn to raise an eyebrow. "And you aren't planning to…act on it? Get some more hot angel-slash-mortal sex?" she asked incredulous at the almost disinterest that her speaker was showing for the subject. She had become used to see the creature be all over Sam, while in that moment he was doing exactly the opposite. "I thought you always went for every chance to have a good time."

"That's true, but I respect Sammy too much for that," Gabriel stated, nonchalantly. "Besides, he likes serious things and I don't do relationships. Not the kind he wants at least. I enjoy my freedom too much to tie myself to a single person. It could be fine for a while, but then I get bored. I think you can imagine what I mean." He shot her a meaningful look. "Not to mention Sam's overprotective brother. Deano would kill me if I laid a finger on his "little" Sammy again. I think he's still a bit pissed off with me for the ritual thing."

"Actually I don't think that Dean would be such a huge obstacle," the woman talked back, offering him a smirk. "Oh come on! You must have noticed it. Now, I don't know if he does it to embarrass Sam or whatever, but he keeps on pushing him towards you. Like the first evening at the diner. He sat down next to me to leave you near Sam and then got me to drink so that you were alone. Or when you've given me a ride here. He noticed that you two were cuddling but pretended not to have. I've more examples than you can imagine."

"Deano trying to hook me up with his brother? Impossible." The archangel shook his head, making a fake. It didn't make sense at all. The older Winchester had never liked him since when he had come out as not human and he had never wanted to give him a single chance, unlike Sam. Not that he could blame him too much for that. "Why should he do something like that?"

"I don't know," Charlie answered, looking pensive. "Maybe Sam likes you back?"

Gabriel almost laughed at that. "That would be a good reason to keep him away from me. Trust me, kiddo, the last thing Deano wants is to have an angelic Trickster in the family," he claimed in a solemn tone, scoffing. Then his tone turned slightly more serious. "And, before you say that I should exploit the thing anyway, I'll say it again: I don't do relationships."

"And we all should thank that freak of your father for that!" Dean's voice exclaimed from behind them, catching them off guard. "It's salvation for those poor masochistic idiots that could wrongly believe that getting involved with you is a nice idea!"

"Always so flattering, Deano," Gabriel commented with a snort, but he didn't miss the glance that the older hunter shot at Sam as he pronounced the last sentence. He could feel the younger's eyes on him too, but he pretended not to have noticed. He had no idea of how much the brothers had heard of the conversation and honestly for once he didn't want to know. As he didn't want to see whatever look there was in those hazel orbs. "You took your time, miss."

"Says the one who shows up only when he wants to," the older Winchester talked back, crossing his arms. "Now, you two, get in the car. We've work to do."

"Touché, Winchester," the archangel said, raising his arms in surrender before opening the back door of the vehicle. "Charlie, it's better if you ride with…" He started to say, but the young woman interrupted him before he could finish.

"Yeah, you're right. It's better if I ride shotgun. I'm still nervous and my stomach is giving me some problem," she stated firmly, daring him to contradict her with a murderous glare. She went around the car to claim the passenger seat. "And I'm sure that the last thing that Dean wants is me throwing up on the upholstery, isn't it?"

"You can say it again, Charlie!" Dean agreed with force, getting inside the vehicle. "If you need to vomit, do it out of the window, or I swear that you'd rather face the Ker alone."

Gabriel shot a nasty look at the woman, who offered him an angelic smile in response, and sat down in the back, finding himself once again next to Sam. She had done it with that precise purpose and he hated her with all himself for that. He should have imagined that speaking so openly with her about the younger Winchester wasn't be a good idea. He looked briefly at the hunter seated a few centimetres away from him, just in time to see the other stealing a glance at him as well. Sam was wearing a strange expression that he couldn't interpret and immediately adverted his eyes when they gazes met. He didn't look upset, but he wasn't happy either. It was as if he was considering something carefully and didn't know what to think about it.

The archangel frowned a bit, feeling frustrated. He hated not knowing what was going on, especially if it concerned him. Had Sam heard the confession Charlie had extorted out of him? He was almost sure he hadn't because Dean would have interrupted them much earlier if the brothers had been already listening. So it was more likely that they had heard just his last sentence. But he still couldn't place Sam's reaction. Could the woman be right about the younger Winchester liking him? He was sceptical about that. Of course, the hunter had given him the impression of liking his company and he was sure that he felt a certain fondness for him, even friendship, but something more? Something _romantic_? It would be quite heartbreaking for poor Sammy and he didn't wish to complicate their situation even more because of stupid unrequited feelings. Charlie could hit him if she wanted, but he wasn't going to get stuck in a common love story. If something concerning the Winchesters could be common.

Kali's name popped up among his thoughts, making him smile a bit. It was true, he had been involved romantically in the past centuries, but it had been different. He had always started them for fun and they had been focused mostly on the physical level. If he had developed some soft feelings for his partners in the meanwhile, as it had happened with the Hindu goddess, it had happened later and it had been completely uncalled for. Angels didn't love so easily, as humans seemed to think. They were soldiers to the core and that kind of emotions was something that usually didn't belong to them.

He shot another glance at Sam and bit back a snort. Of course, if there was someone who could change what had been true for millennia, that was a Winchester. What had happened to Castiel was just the most striking example. Never trust those boys to make your angel life easier. They would make you at least turn against what you had believed until a minute before and die for them a couple of time. Not to mention making you fall for them. And he was starting to suspect that the verb didn't only refer to angels losing their Grace.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

If she survived that folly, Charlie decided that she would have to rethink her idea of "nervousness". The restlessness she was experiencing now, standing before a weird seal drawn on the floor and holding a paper with an ancient Greek spell written on it, made all the other times she had felt tensed look like happy moments. She cursed Crowley for having thrown her in that world of monsters, herself for having been so careless, the Ker for having chosen her and not someone else, her three companions for having persuaded her to do this, and God just because she now knew that he existed. She was aware that her angry thoughts wouldn't change the situation, but she felt a bit better when she was finished. Which was a lot considering her current position.

She looked down at the spell. The plan was fairly simple. She had to recite the words to summon Anaplekte and, as soon as the creature, the Winchesters would stab her with both their knife and Gabriel's blade. Just to be sure. The archangel had been given the role of back-up in the case that something went wrong. He had muttered something about being able to hold the Ker back, to give them the time to leave. He also had the task to make sure that she didn't get possessed again because that would be difficult to fix.

Charlie sighed. It was one of the worst plans she had ever heard. They didn't even know if the weapons would work, even if Gabriel had sounded incredibly persuaded when he had stated that no pagan thing couldn't be killed by an archangel blade. And yet the whole idea was so crazy that it could actually work. Or at least that was what she wanted to believe.

She took a deep breath, deciding that the time for hesitation was up, and started to read, trying not to stumble on the words and to ignore the fact that her hands were shaking slightly. Sam had made her read the spell over and over again so that she didn't say it wrong, correcting her pronunciation as much as he could. Greek was a bitch language, she had decided after the tenth time, but now she was grateful for those repetitions. Reciting had become almost automatic for her and this way her inner agitation didn't affect her voice too much.

Contrary to what had happened the first time, for few long seconds after she was finished nothing happened. Charlene blinked, wondering if she had actually made some mistakes while chanting. Her mind was a mess in that moment, so she wouldn't be surprised if she had skipper a word or similar. She tentatively looked around the empty warehouse they had chosen for the ritual, since she had been categorical about not wanting anything near a bridge or a crevice, but nothing moved. Great. The possible explanations were two. Either she had misspoken the whole thing or the ritual wasn't actually binding for the Ker and she had chosen to ignore it, which was bad enough to make her hope for the first thing.

The silence reigned over the place for some more moments but then, right when she was considering reading the spell again, the temperature of the air around her dropped without a warning and the flames of the candles started to flicker.

The young woman, startled by the sudden change of atmosphere, took some quick steps backwards, just in time to get away from the smoky figure that was starting to appear in the middle of the seal. That time, unlike the previous one, its profile kept getting more and more defined until a real, corporeal body was standing in front of Charlene. The latter gaped at the creature. She was of the most gorgeous women she had ever seen. Her slim and sinuous body was covered just by a dark thin peplos-like dress and she wore fine leather sandals. Her wavy black hair was partially tied in small braids, one of which ran over the creature's forehead, while the rest of it was loose and fell down in locks on her shoulders. Her eyes seemed to be made of the same smoke from which she had appeared and they twinkled softly in the dim light.

Anaplekte smiled affectionately to the young woman, revealing white and sharp teeth. "Hello, Charlene," she greeted in a melodious tone. Then, without turning, she added, in a harsher tone: "And you two can come out from behind those boxes. Don't you dare to think that I'm not aware of your presence."

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance from their hiding place before standing up, weapons in hand. The elder's expression was a mask of annoyance, while the younger looked more worried. But they both shared the same kind of thoughts. They expected the demon to behave like the first time they had summoned her, but apparently she had other plans. In that form she was an easier target, but they had lost the surprise effect on which they were counting on.

"You too, Loki," the Ker ordered firmly, even if her disquieting smile never faded. "Or should I call you Gabriel?"

The archangel immediately materialized next to Charlie, a defiant expression on his face. "I'll let you chose, milady," he answered in a mocking tone. "Even if, in my opinion, I like the sound of Loki best when it's shaped by those lovely lips of yours."

The IT employee's eyes widened at that and she turned away from the Ker, looking down at the former Trickster in disbelief. "Gabriel! You slept with her!" She exclaimed in an incredulous and accusing tone, making the Winchesters' astonished gaze fall on the shorter man in turn.

The archangel groaned. "Oh, come on! It was decades ago!" He defended himself opening his arms. "And it was that or my life. Sorry if I chose to live!"

"That's how you manage to escape during the war," Sam interjected, running a hand on his face. He had been really naive. He should have asked for a better explanation when the shorter man had mentioned the episode. He should have seen it coming, especially considering the way in which Gabriel had behaved since their arrival in the town. "That's why you've been so reluctant to tell us what we were hunting! You know her!"

"Man, is it there some fucking pagan bitch you haven't slept with?" Dean commented harshly, rolling his eyes. He was so going to strangle the archangel. He had played them since the start once again. "I'm fed up to the back teeth with meeting your exes!"

"You only met Kali before," Gabriel pointed out, lifting his eyes. Then he decided to ignore the brothers' complains, since that discussion wasn't going anywhere, and turned towards the Ker once again. She was the most urgent problem at the moment. "Sorry, dear, but I won't let you touch this girl. She's with me."

"He means that he won't let you kill me," Charlene corrected, gaining a weird look from her companions. She glared back at them. She had the right to express her thoughts and Anaplekte was really hot, no discussing on that point. Lucky fucking archangel. "If I can have the same deal you did with him, I'm totally up for it."

The creature let out a harmonious laugh at the offer. "I'm sorry, sweety, but I'm not into humans," she answered, her grin turning into a smirk. "You're quite appealing, I admit that, but I don't want to create a precedent, so I'll just take your life. And your friends' ones."

"I want to see you try, bitch!" Dean snarled at her, lifting the demon-killing knife. "Who tells you that we won't be the ones to kill you?"

"How ill-mannered. I don't like you," Anaplekte said frowning deeply. "And, Dean…" She stretched her arm towards him, throwing him against the nearest wall so hard to force all the breath out of him. "…That's why you won't. You poor powerless creatures can nothing against me. Next time you should really think it twice before calling me bitch."

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed, turning towards his brother, but he couldn't add anything because one moment later he was sent against the same wall. His back hit the cement with violence and he let out a loud groan, losing the grip on the blade he was holding. The weapon fell on the floor, rolling far away from both hunters.

Gabriel immediately stepped in front of Charlene. His eyes were sparkling with power and his expression was now deadly serious. "You'll get to touch them again only over my dead body, Anaplekte," he warned, his voice dark and low. "It's time for you to learn your place. I don't need my blade to teach you a lesson." He shot a glance at the young woman he was protecting. "Charlie, get out of here."

"But, Gabe…" The IT technician tried to protest, but she was cut off immediately.

"Go. Now." The archangel ordered again firmly, his tone so commanding that the human could do nothing but stepping back, moving away from the two supernatural beings. He nodded to himself, satisfied. The battle wasn't going to be easy for him and he didn't want to risk getting her hurt while fighting.

"You really think you can kill me, Loki?" Anaplekte asked, amused. "You chose not to fight me years ago for a reason. You should stop kidding yourself. You'll lose this battle and I'll go after your precious girl. She can't hide from me!"

"I'm no longer who I was when we met," he talked back, not impressed by her threats. "Back then I'd have done anything to avoid a battle because I had no reason to fight. Now things have changed. And I'm going to show you how much."

"If this is what you want, let's start!" The Ker exclaimed, stretching quickly both her arms in his direction. "I'll destroy you this time!"

Gabriel was caught off guard by the sudden attack and the creature's power sent him back against a pile of box. The hard wood broke under the violence with which his body hit it and he found himself buried under the mass of material. He let out a low growl, sending it flying in all direction before getting up. "Nice blow," he commented in a sarcastic tone, brushing his clothes with his hands. "But if this is all you can do I won't even enjoy myself in this fight. Let's face the truth, you are much better at seducing people into your bed."

The Ker's eyes flashed with rage, both for his words and the fact that she was starting to realise to be in disadvantage. Her beautiful face was contorted in a grimace of pure hatred and was slowly taking a grey hue. "How do you dare! You filthy insolent…" She growled, but her voice broke in a groan of pain before she could finish the insult. Her hand moved to her back where Dean had plunged his knife deep to the handle.

She turned towards him, incredulous and even more furious. "You'll pay for this, Dean Winchester!" She yelled, her voice losing all the softness it had held until then. She grabbed the weapon and extracted it from her flesh with a fluid movement, her other hand reaching for the hunter's neck and closing tightly around his throat.

Dean gasped and struggled, his nails clawing the skin of her wrist, but her grip was too strong to break. He tried to say something, but only a faint strangled noise came out from his lips. His lungs were already starting to burn for the lack of her and his vision was getting blurred. He wrestled the creature harder, but he obtained only to make his consciousness fade more quickly.

Sam tried to reach out for their opponent in turn, but she sent him against the wall with a wave of her hand, trapping him against it. "Dean!" He called, struggling without success against the invisible force that was pinning him to the cement. "Let him go, bitch!"

She ignored his cries and turned towards Gabriel pressing the knife to the older hunter's neck, nipping his skin and drawing some drops of blood, a new triumphal grin her face. "Try something and I'll cut your precious human's throat," she warned, clearly pleased with how the fight was turning out. She snapped her fingers and two deep cuts opened in the former Trickster's chest, blood soaking the front of his shirt. "So, what were you saying about not having fun, Loki dear? Be prepared, because I'm going to rip you apart piece by piece!"

The archangel let out a surprised yelp of pain and brought instinctively his hands on the wounds, but didn't move. That was really bad. She was fast and, if he tried to get Dean away from her, there was the risk that she would manage to slit his throat anyway. Not to mention that she could crash Sam against the wall in any moment, reducing the younger hunter into a mess of blood and minced meat. His hands were tied.

At loss of what to do, he moved his gaze between the two Winchesters, feeling impossibly frustrated. He had managed to get them away from Lucifer, so how was it that he couldn't free them from a Greek demon? He clenched his fists. The fact was that his older brother had let them go back then, since he wasn't really after the Winchesters in that particular occasion. Anaplekte instead had all the intentions to kill them all. The burden of his unhelpfulness suddenly fell on his shoulders. He was useless when it came to act like one of the good guys. He had mostly been a problem during the Apocalypse and now he was proving himself able only to cause troubles and to put the others in danger once again. He lowered his eyes. It was his fault if they were in that situation. He had chosen to play around instead of leading the hunters straight to the responsible of the killings and then he underestimated their opponent. And now he couldn't do anything to fix the consequences of his poor choices.

He was about to admit his defeat when, suddenly, a voice came from behind the Ker, startling him. "Hey, have you forgotten about me, bitch?"

Gabriel lifted his gaze again, just in time to see Charlie stabbing the creature with his blade, running her through from side to side. Anaplekte let out a horrible deafening scream and let go off Dean, who fell on the floor gasping and coughing heavily. The creature convulsed, terrible noises of agony leaving her lips, and her figure wavered, its profile getting blurred, until when, with one last piercing yell, she exploded in a cloud of grey smoke that quickly dissipated in the air.

Sam stumbled forward from his spot on the wall as the force that had kept him in place suddenly disappeared, but he caught himself in time to avoid falling on the floor and rushed towards his brother, kneeling down next to him.

"Dean, are you alright?" He asked, concern dripping from his voice, but he relaxed a bit when the other gave him a curt nod, still too out of breath to offer a verbal answer. That had been awfully close. They really had to thank Charlie's wonderful timing.

The former Trickster shot the two hunters a glance, making sure that none of them needed a bit of Grace to recover, and then turned around, heading out of the building without a word. His expression was dark and his eyes unfocused.

Charlene and Sam exchanged a confused look, puzzled by the archangel's behaviour. The woman frowned and gestured the younger Winchester to take care of Dean, before quickly following the shorter man outside, the sword still in her hand. She had to catch him before he decided to fly away or they would never know that the hell was wrong with him. He should be happy, they had managed to kill the Ker and they were all alive and mostly well.

Not finding him outside in the open space the door, she decided to check the surrounding area, hoping that he hadn't really already left. She had to go around the whole building before finding him in the centre of the backyard, looking gloomily up at the sky. She watched him for a moment, trying in vain to guess whatever thought could be crossing his mind, then she tightened her grip on the blade and slowly approached him.

"Gabe," she called softly, once she was at his arm's reach. "Are you alright?"

The archangel didn't look back at her and didn't move, but his voice was unusually flat when he spoke. "I don't get it, Charlie. I really don't get it."

She frowned a bit, caught off guard by that sudden changed of behaviour, but she decided to play along. "What it is that you don't get?" She asked carefully, her eyes scanning his face.

He offered her a small shrug. "I don't understand why I am back," he answered, his voice still emotionless. "I did my little show with Lucifer and I was gone for good. Then, He decided to bring me back. He could have sent anyone to stop Castiel. Someone who could actually do a good job, if possible. Or He could have showed up and told Raph and Cas to stop fighting, which would have been the best solution for everyone, I dare to say. But no, of course. He's sent me. If this is some kind of bad joke, well, I don't like it."

The young woman took one more step towards him. "Now I'm the one who doesn't understand. You're an archangel, the only one among the angels who can actually help against Raphael. So I don't see why bringing you back is be a bad idea," she said sounding a bit confused. She didn't really have any idea of what the other was talking about, but one thing was sure: what she had just heard was the classical start of a self-hatred speech and she had no intention to take that crap from someone like Gabriel. "If your father sent you, there must be a good reason. He is God, even if he is awful from what you told me."

"I'm no longer sure that He does have one." The archangel stated flatly, finally turning to face her. There was a dark shadow in his eyes that had stolen away their usual golden brightness. "Come on, girl, look at me." He gestured down at himself, scoffing. "I'm the best trickster of the planet, but I suck at playing the angel! I'm the worst at being myself. How's it even possible? I'm useless in this role. What's the point of bringing back to life someone like me?" His tone got bitterer and bitterer as he spoke. "I almost got us all killed in there because I was being cocky and irresponsible. I came back to help Cas and now I don't even know where he fucking is. He's alive, I can sense him, but I can't locate him. What if he needs me and I cannot reach him in time? He'll die because I'm an awful big brother. Second chance my ass! I'll tell you why I'm back. This is Dad punishing me for playing all those bad pranks!"

Charlene rolled her eyes. There it was the self-hatred speech, exactly as she had thought. "If he's punishing you for something, it's for you being such an idiot," she talked back firmly. "Don't force me to kick your nice arse. You're useless as an archangel? Should I remind you that you saved my life a few hours agp? Maybe you don't care about that, but it matters a lot to me. Not to mention the fact that you've stood up against that bitch to protect me and the boys. You knew how strong she was and you didn't even have your sword, but you challenged her anyway. For us. That's what angels do, they protect. You yourself told me that this morning. Or have you already forgotten it?" She held the still bloody blade out for him. "I just returned the favour saving you idiots. So now stop being a cry-baby and let all that shit go. Or do you think that giving up will help the situation?"

Gabriel looked down at the sword, but made no move to take it. "You should keep it. You're better than me at using it," he mumbled under his breath. He had heard the woman's words, had listened to them, but they hadn't been able to reach him for real.

Charlene let out an exasperate sigh. That was too much. "I told you to stop talking crap! I like angst, but only in fiction. In real life it's not cool at all!" She stated, grabbing his hand and pressing the weapon in his palm. "Now. Listen to me and don't tell anyone that I have said what I'm about to say. I don't know how angels are supposed to be, but I like you, I've already told you that. And so do Sam, Dean and surely that brother of yours, Castiel. And with "you" I mean your reckless, sarcastic, ass self." She poke him straight in the chest to underline her words. "You're a bitch, but you're fun. Shit happens. What matters is having the courage to face it. And you have it. So, if you're the worst angel in Heaven, well, then I thank God for making whatever kind of divine mistake he did while creating you. You're good as a trickster? Nice. You should try to exploit that, not to mark it as something that has nothing to do with who you are. You're Gabriel, but you're Loki too. If you're different from your siblings it doesn't mean that you suck at being yourself. You're just…different. Trust me, we humans know a lot about that."

The archangel stared at her for a while, this time truly reflecting on her words. He had to agree with her on a point. He was trying hard to get it right, even if he was so bad at it. And she had been right also when she had told him that surrendering wouldn't bring him anywhere. He had to keep fighting, no matter the results he was getting because that was the only way to have a chance to win it.

His eyes fell on his still blooded shirt and then on the stained blade. He snapped his fingers and one moment later he was perfectly clean once again. A small smile spread on his lips. Trickster and archangel? He had never thought about it that way, but it felt right. It had always been Loki or Gabriel, as if they couldn't coexist, but now he saw that he had been wrong. He really was an idiot. That girl had grasped in a day something he hadn't understood in millennia.

"If you weren't so much against the idea, I'd be making out with you in this instant," he claimed playfully in the end, breaking the comfortable silence. He offered her a seductive smirk. "You sure you don't wanna give it a try? I won't take advantage of you, I swear!"

"Don't you dare! I'm still ready to kick your ass," Charlie warned, but she was grinning as well. It was good to see that for once she had been able to say the right thing, even if she wasn't very good with people. "But you can hug me if you want."

Obviously, she had meant it as a joke. She hadn't expected the former Trickster actually pulling her in his arms and holding her tightly. A warm feeling spread inside her and she felt suddenly happy, enveloped in that same luminous energy she had tasted when he had saved her from the nastier fall of her life. It was Gabriel's power running on her body and she could read the message in it. "Thank you," it said. She felt tears of joy filled her eyes, but the archangel pulled away right when the feeling was starting to become too overwhelming for her.

"We should get back to the boys. You can never leave them alone for too much time, 'cause they always end up making troubles," the creature said as soon as they had broken apart, gesturing the building. "And I still have a prank war that waits only for me."

Charlie quickly dried her eyes, her head still feeling a bit too light, and nodded. "That's the Gabe I like! I absolutely need to give you my phone number, so you can tell me how it will end!" She answered enthusiastically.

In that moment, asking to stay in contact, she wasn't thinking about Crowley or her mission. She really wanted to be a part of that strange group of dorks, even if they had dragged her in deep troubles already. There was something in the air when she was with them, something that lingered even in spite of the contrasts and the insecurities. Something that tasted like home, like family. It had been too long since the last time she had felt it.

With another grin, she took the arm that she was being offered and walked back with the archangel towards where they had left the car. The Devil wouldn't be happy about how fond of the three she had grown, but in that moment she couldn't care less.

ж

After the first six days he had spent with the Bales, Castiel was starting to understand why some humans found hunting so enticing. His weakened state allowed him to feel the adrenaline filling his vessel's body during the ambushed and the fights, a sensation that was alien to him but not unpleasant. Another aspect that he found satisfying was seeing the expressions of the victims they managed to save. Their tired and still frightened faces usually lit up with relief and sometimes gratitude when they took down the creature that had been threatening them. He had never really cared about anyone but Dean and Sam before, but now he was learning why his friends put so many efforts in saving life. It was gratifying, in its own odd way.

He had also learnt a lot about hunting itself. He had agreed to help his new companions to take down the wendigo they were hunting and, as soon as he had got to know that it had to be burnt, he had retired to his room to make a Molotov similar to the one he had thrown to Michael during the duel between his oldest brothers. In that occasion it had proved to be a very effective weapon, so he had thought to give it another try.

The hunters had looked at him in disbelief when he had taken it out and used it during the battle, hitting the monster while he was running straight towards Richard. He hadn't considered the fact that no human should have been able to see a wendigo while he was moving that fast and he had struggled to persuade his new companions that he had just been lucky. From that moment on, he had decided that he needed to be more discreet when he used his angelic powers around them or they would have got suspicious.

After taking care of the beast, they had moved to another state, where Thomas had left him and Shane to take care of a poltergeist, while he and Richard had moved on to investigate some ritual killings happening a few miles away.

The young woman had turned out to be a good partner and he felt almost at ease working with her. She was a pleasant company too and she gave him the space he needed, never questioning him too much when he did something that in her opinion was weird. At times he had some difficulties understanding what she was saying or doing, but after spending so much time with Dean he had become better at reading human behaviours and expressions.

"Ah, I needed it!" Shane commented, taking a sip of her beer. "That damned house has almost driven me crazy!"

They were seated in the corner table of a small bar, away from prying ears. After almost four days, they had managed to get rid of the poltergeist. The spirit had been hunting a small house in the outskirts and had almost thrown one of its owners out of a window. The purification ritual hadn't been enough to chase it away, even if it had blocked it long enough to allow them to make some research and find out whose ghost could be causing the phenomenon. After that, things had got easier. The corpse was still buried in the near cemetery and they had managed to find it before someone got killed.

While they were working inside the house, Shane had earned several cuts by a mirror that had exploded in her face and Castiel had been stabbed in the back by one of the kitchen knives, but luckily he had been alone in the room when it had happened. Otherwise it would have been difficult to explain why he was still alive. The wound was still pulsing lightly under the bandage he had applied on it, reminding him constantly of how weak his powers were becoming. He frowned at the thought. He should go back to his search soon, he had wasted already too much time. He had decided to stay with the Bales until he had recovered, but he had been fine for almost two days by now. And yet he was still at Shane's side.

"Cas, are you alright?" The young woman asked, bringing him back to the present. "You look unhappy. Is something worrying you?"

"I am fine," he answered, playing with his empty bottle before looking up at her. "I apologise. I got lost in my thoughts."

She patted his arm and offered him a warm smile. "It's fine, man. But you know I'm here if you need to talk, don't you? We're partners now, even if only temporarily. And partners help each other. The Winchesters should have taught you that"

"I appreciate your offer, Shane, but I assure you that it's nothing important," he lied quietly, his eyes drifting away when she mentioned his human friends. "I was just thinking that soon I will have to leave to take care of my unsolved business. That is all."

"I see…" Shane's expression darkened a bit at his words. She didn't look happy at the news. "When are you planning to leave?"

"After we have reunited with Thomas and Richard. It has already been a week, and I don't have much time left." He caught the frown on her face and it confused him. Why was she upset now? They had met just few days before and she had known since the beginning that he wasn't staying. "I don't want you to think that I don't appreciate your companionship. I really did. You have given me more than you can imagine. But I need to go. What I must do is too important."

"Of course, I understand," she mumbled, finishing her drink in one go. Then she sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm being selfish. The only partner I've ever had is Rich. The others I've worked with have always turned out to be idiots. I love my cousin, he's like a brother to me, but that's the problem. We fight a lot because we consider each other siblings and sometimes I wish I could have other people in my life outside my family. You're the first real friend I got who's worth of that name." She threw some money on the table. "Come on, let's get back. We'll need to get up early tomorrow if we want to join the others in the morning."

Castiel nodded followed her outside and they walked side by side without speaking to the motel where they were staying. Shane seemed lost in her thoughts once again and he decided to leave her alone with them, focusing instead on his owns. He was aware that he couldn't just keep landing in random places and hoping that he would find an answer by chance. He needed to start thinking about what he should be looking for, even if he didn't have the faintest idea at the moment. Dean had told him that he wanted "the old Cas back", which he had interpreted as him needing to clear his mind and remember who he used to be. Whatever that meant.

Once they had reached their destination, the woman unlocked the door of the room they had agreed to share and left her bag on the bed, stirring a bit before opening the small cupboard. He instead just lingered in the doorway for a few moments, before closing the door behind his back and making his way to where the bed assigned to him was.

"There's still a bit of whiskey left," she announced, pulling the almost empty bottle out. "We should make a toast to our good job."

He nodded in silent agreement, more to please her than because he was in the mood for toasting, and they went to sit on the balcony. The air was chill, but pleasant and the stars were shining brightly. Shane poured the amber liquid in two glasses, pushing one towards the angel, and then they clinked them together before sipping their drink. Castiel kept his eyes fixed on the dark sky, his thoughts inevitably addressed to Heaven, and didn't notice that his companion was staring at him until she called his name. He turned towards her, his head slightly titled on one side and a questioning look on his face.

"I hope that my little speech about feeling lonely hasn't bothered you," she said, scratching the back of her head. "It was really embarrassing. I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be. Loneliness is an awful feeling," he whispered, wincing at thought of his own inner void, which seemed only to get deeper and deeper with the passing time. "It's natural to want to fight it. I understand what you feel, Shane, even if the sensation is still so new to me." He paused for a moment. "I've never thought it could hurt so much."

"Yeah, it's a real bitch," she agreed with the hint of a smile, even if she was wearing the usual stare that she gave him when he was being weird. Then she turned serious again. "When I feel like that I just long for something that can help me filling the space around me. At times is my family, others some crappy show that makes me laugh or a glass of good scotch." She looked for his eyes, her own blue orbs sinking into his. "But, at times, those things aren't enough because what I need is of a different kind…"

The angel remained silent, waiting for her to elaborate, but the young woman simply kept staring at him, with a look that he couldn't place. Then, without notice, she leant forwards, her eyelids flattering close. He widened his eyes in confusion for a moment, then realisation dawned on him. Shane was about to kiss him. His hands instinctively shot forwards, landing on her shoulders to prevent her to close the gap between them. She opened her eyes again, puzzled, and he shook his head slowly.

"I'm sorry, Shane, I can't. It wouldn't be fair," he said as gently as he could, feeling awkward at the same time. "You're a beautiful person…woman, but I don't have romantic feelings for you. I will be glad to offer you my friendship, but nothing more. I hope you understand."

The woman ran a hand on her face, looking more embarrassed than anything else. "It's fine, Cas, I should be the one to say sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," she sighed, putting some distance between them. "It's just…I like you and so I thought that we could…I'm not asking you to becoming my boyfriend or anything. But I guess you aren't the type who does one-night stands, are you?"

"I have a hard time to understand how humans can get so intimate with each other without sharing a deeper connection," the angel answered, never tearing his eyes away from her. "It is something that does not make sense to me."

Shane let out a laugh at that and some of the tension that had filled the air disappeared. "Oh God, you are so weird! At times you talk as if you weren't human yourself, are you aware of it?" She pointed out, amused. "But don't worry, I got the point. You're a serious guy. No casual sex, I'll keep it mind. What a pity." She shook her head, still grinning. "You should be more careful with your words, dude. You know, for a moment, when you had said that you couldn't, I thought that I was about to kiss a taken guy! I don't do that!" Seeing that the other had remained silent she gave him a look. "You're not taken, are you?"

"Taken?" Castiel repeated carefully, searching in his memory for a non literal meaning of the verb that could be applied to their current subject.

"Yeah, taken. In a relationship, I mean," she explained, raising an eyebrow. Then a thought hit her. "Oh for fuck's sake! Are you and Dean involved?"

The angel frowned in confusion once again. That conversation was getting harder and harder for him. "Are you asking me if Dean Winchester and I share a romantic and sexual relationship?" He asked after some moment of silence.

"Yeah, that's what I'm asking," she nodded with a sigh. Then she rolled her eyes. "Why do you have to be always so formal?"

"I tend to misunderstand what people say, so I prefer being sure of what they are asking me," he explained matter-of-factly. The main problem was that people usually didn't return the favour. "Anyway, no. I'm not…involved with Dean."

Shane hummed and got up, grabbing her empty glass. There was a hint of relief in her eyes. "Alright. Better this way. Now, I made the biggest fool of myself twice within five minutes, so it's better if I go to sleep," she announced. "You coming?"

"There is no need to feel embarrassed. I did not feel offended by your assumptions," Castiel reassured her, looking up to meet her gaze once again. "I will stay here a little longer, if you don't mind. Go and get some rest."

"Fine. Thanks, pal." She offered him a smile. "Night, Cas."

"Goodnight, Shane."

She went inside, leaving him alone with his worries once again. He was feeling the strong need to pray, but for the first time in his existence he realized that he had no one to who he could address. He had given up asking Father for help during the Apocalypse and after He had giving him no signs about what he should do with Raphael and Crowley's offer. He couldn't call one of his siblings either, because in that way he would risk to attract Raphael attention. He briefly considered praying to Gabriel, but he knew that the archangel was already busy with taking care of the mess he had left behind and of the Winchesters. He didn't wish to burden him with his anxiety as well.

The heaviness of his new solitude fell hard on him once again and he lowered his eyes, suddenly finding the light of the stars too bright for him. He felt so lost, divided between two worlds and at the same time conscious that he didn't belong to any of them. What would happen if he didn't find his way in time? Would Heaven's doors be closed forever to him? Would all his sacrifice be vain and would he disappear without leaving a trace? Would the darkness of his doubts consume what was left of his essence? The quiet night had no answers for him. The silence echoed empty and meaningless around him, together with the hungry void in his chest.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

The dark quietness of her apartment greeted Charlie as she crossed the threshold, letting her rack sack fall on the floor near the door. The young woman sighed deeply as she walked along the corridor towards the living room. She was dead tired and she couldn't wait to slip under her sheets and sleep for a whole night.

After the battle, the boys had drove her back to the motel and then the following day they had given her a ride back to Hot Springs, where she had taken the bus that would have brought her to the nearest airport. The trip had been quite long and, when she had finally arrived in Chicago, she almost couldn't believe that she had made it back home. Gabriel had offered to take her home by flying, but she had refused. After having been possessed by a Greek demon, having fallen off a bridge, having caught a glimpse of an archangel's true form and having stabbed the above-mentioned demon with the above-said archangel's blade, she needed a bit of normalcy. Even if it meant spending several hours travelling.

She grabbed her laptop, letting herself fall on the sofa. She hadn't had the time to check her email and favourite websites properly in the past three days, so she had better do it before undressing and going to bed. She needed a shower as well, but she had decided that it could have waited until the following morning. She looked through the last news and then opened the account she used for work mail. She quickly dismissed the newsletters of the company and the HR notices, her eyes wandering distractedly on the screen. The amount of useless information that the company provided them was simply absurd.

She sighed tiredly, rolling her eyes. What a huge waste of time. However, right when she had decided to ignore all the remaining emails, a name caught her attention. She blinked a couple of time, just to make sure that her mind wasn't tricking her. It was a message from Richard Roman in person. Her heart missed a bit. Crowley had been right. The great boss, or rather, the monster that had taken his place had contacted her. She opened the email with just a little bit of hesitation and attentively checked its content. The message was brief and formal, and especially didn't give any additional information. Roman was asking her to come to his office the following afternoon, but the reason of the meeting was not mentioned. He had added that, if she still wasn't well, she could give a call to his secretary to take another appointment for a later date. It took her a moment to remember that the King of Hell had seen that she obtained a sick leave, so that she had all the time to deal with the Winchesters.

Charlie stared at the screen for some moments, deep in thoughts. She wasn't sure that she was ready to find herself face to face with another monster, not after what had happened with Anaplekte the day before. The temptation to call the number she had been provided and tell that she had rather wait another couple of days because she was still very ill was very tempting, but she had the feeling that she would still be very nervous once in front of the Leviathan, no matter how much time she would give to herself. After all he was a creature powerful enough to worry the Devil himself, so there would have been something very wrong with her if she hadn't been at least a bit scared.

The ringing of her cell phone interrupted her thoughts and she reached out for it, wondering who could be texting her. She didn't have many friends and they usually sent her emails or messages on social networks. Normal text messages were outmoded in her clique. She frowned a bit, seeing that the sender was a number she didn't know, but her puzzled expression immediately turned into a smile as she read the content.

"_Hey there, girl! It seems that I've got a phone now! You back home? We are, if this dump can be called like that (don't tell the boys I've used that word to describe their friend's house). Aaaaand I'm already BORED to death. Research, research, research. Not my thing, but I do my best. Hope you're doing something more interesting. Call me sometimes! No need for me to sign this, right?_"

She shook her head, amused. She was receiving text messages from an archangel. If someone had told her that this would happen before she had met Crowley she would have advised them to see a good psychiatrist. She hit the reply button and quickly saved the number before texting back.

"_Hello, bitch! Yeah, I'm back. Not so much fun here, but surely more than there! Poor you! Well, you can always play one of your Loki tricks to pass the time, can't you? Call you soon!_"

"Aren't you getting a bit too friendly with that archangel?" A voice asked from next to her, making her jump. "It's _inconvenient_, considering who you're working for."

"For fuck's sake!" She exclaimed in a loud voice, caught off guard, turning quickly in its direction. She knew too well to whom it belonged too so she didn't hesitate to glare at her guest. "Crowley! Give the girl a warning! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"

The demon smirked, amused by her reaction, moving away from the spot where he had been peering over her shoulder. "Welcome home, darling," he mocked with a fake sweet tone. "Jumpy, aren't we? You should relax a bit, at least when you're in a safe place."

"I'm not jumpy. I'm still not used to having the King of Hell perched on my shoulder!" She talked back, a bit irritated. She was far too tired for bearing her employer's game in that moment. "It's not something that happens every day, in case you didn't know. Humans usually don't even know that you exist." She glared at him even harder. "And, just for the record, I make friends with whoever I want. Besides, you should be happy. The closer I get to Gabriel the easier it will be for me to get information about him and the boys."

The Devil lifted his hands in surrender. "Never argue with a woman, they say. And I'm starting to understand why," he commented with a light scoffed. Then he turned more serious. "You have a point, my dear, but you should be careful not to get too close to them," he warned calmly but firmly. "I know how you humans are. You tend to let feelings in your way a bit too easily when you get attached. Don't force me to intervene. You wouldn't like that."

"I know how to keep my feelings under control," Charlie stated again, turning her eyes back to her computer. She hadn't liked the tone he had used and she hadn't appreciated the once again veiled threatened she had received. However, for once decided to leave it be, since she was really too tired to discuss. Instead she lifted her laptop so that her speaker could look at the email that was still open on the screen.

"I have some news," she announced, changing the subject without waiting for an answer. "You were right. Richard Roman, or whoever he is now, has contacted me. He wants to see me tomorrow afternoon, but he hasn't said why."

Crowley hummed, satisfied, instantly focusing on the piece of information he had been given. Finally his plan was starting to work out. "It seems that your moment has come, my dear. They're waiting for you on the stage," he commented in a pleased tone, nodding slightly to himself. "Are you ready?"

She ran a hand on her face. "Is that a rhetorical question?" she groaned shaking her head. "I'm still having trouble to digest what happened to me in the last week, and you ask me if I'm ready to meet a _Leviathan_! The answer is not at all! I've almost died because of a monster, you can't blame me for not being eager to meet another!"

"It won't be as bad as you expect. Roman needs you, so he has no reason to hurt you. Unless he finds out that you know what he really is and especially that you're trying to trick him" the demon pointed out matter-of-factly, crossing his arms on his chest. "You being nervous won't give you away. You're usually a bit shy with strangers and this is your great _boss_. They expect you to feel uneasy. Just try not to stare at him too much or in an odd way. And especially don't make inappropriate comments about not human things. You'll be fine."

"Yeah, of course! It's easy for you! I'm the one who has to face the thing," she mumbled unhappily, playing with her phone. "I'm not saying I'm not doing it. I agreed to that. Just…I'm not that sure that it will work out well." She looked at him, her eyes filled with uncertainty and a bit of fear. "What if something goes wrong? What if they find out that I'm trying to double-cross them? There'll be no freaking archangel to save my ass tomorrow!"

The King of Hell made a face. "I'd rather not see it happening," he answered elusively. He knew where the woman was trying to push him and he had no intention to go there. She would just have one more reason to freak out and that wasn't good considering how close they were to the most delicate part of his plan.

"Well, thanks. Me neither. But what if it does happen?" She pressed, in a firmer tone. She was sure that she already knew the answer, but she wanted to see if the other would be able to translate it in nice words as he usually did. "I'm asking you if I'd be left to face the consequences of your stupid plan or if you'd do something to help me out!"

Crowley bit back an exasperate sigh. There they were. "If they found out that you work for me, my plan would be completely compromised. And they would for sure if I showed up and stood up for you," he answered calmly, bringing his hands behind his back. "I'm a business man, Charlie. And, as the King of Hell, my affairs have the priority on everything else. You knew the risks when you took the job. You're working for the Devil after all."

"So, you'll let me die by their hands," she stated in a harsh tone. She couldn't say that she was surprised, but still she had hoped for some kind of support. Very naive from her part. "Such a grateful partner I have."

The demon rolled his eyes lightly. "Don't be like that now. I wouldn't enjoy it, but it would be unavoidable. But don't worry, I wouldn't allow them to keep you. They would torture you to get to know who you are working for, or they would trick you into telling them. And of course I can't allow that."

"So you'll have me killed by one of yours minions." Charlie threw her hands in the air. "And how is that supposed to reassure me?"

"It would be quick and painless," the King of Hell stated, opening his arms widely. "I don't think that our Dick would show you the same courtesy."

"Well, thanks for your mercy." Charlene snorted sarcastically, turning away from him. She felt the impelling need to punch him in the face, but she did her best not to. It wouldn't have done her any good. "Just for the record, I wouldn't betray you. Not willingly at least." She stated then, in a quieter tone. "Unlike you, I'm a loyal person, even if my "business partner" is the freaking Sauron of this world. I wouldn't give you away, not even if they tell me that it was the only way to save my sorry life."

Crowley raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised by that admission. "Are you so worried about what I could do to you if you betrayed me?" he questioned, with a curious look on his face. "Or is it the thought of Hell that scares you?"

"No, you _ass_. I don't give a fuck about what you could do to me. Well, that's not completely true, but I have the feeling that Roman would do much worse things to me if I refused to talk," she answered, shooting him a new glare. Her tone was still flat, but less harsh than before. Could the demon really not see what she was saying? "The fact is that we made a deal. You're my partner, even if you're a complete jerk and I don't like you at times. Like at all. But still, the main thing doesn't change. That's why I would keep quiet. For your sake."

The King of Hell was quiet for a moment, his dark eyes carefully studying the young woman, who however wasn't looking back at him anymore. Humans were strange creatures, he had always thought that, even before becoming a demon. Some of them never chased to surprise you. The strength with which they defended their ideals, in every circumstance, was simply unbelievable. The honesty that Charlene was showing him could have maybe been considered foolish by others, but he truly appreciated it. She wasn't stupid or blind, she knew well that she was expendable for the sake of his business. And yet she was there, promising him not to betray him, even to the detriment of her life. It was simply amazing, in a way. He had always appreciated property, and in the past he had punished every demon who hadn't respected the terms of the contracts they made. It was a basic rule for a successful business: keep your side of the deal. If you cheated, then no one would want to make business with you anymore.

"Very well. Try not to get caught and we'll both be happy," he spoke again in the end, his voice calm and collected. Then his lips curved into a sly grin. "It would be a pity if I had to throw away such an important deal only because you hadn't been able to act as you're expected to. In that case, I would be forced to hope that those to angels and their human pets find a way to get rid of the Leviathans. If not, we all will be in great troubles. And, trust me, I don't like betting on the Winchesters, even if they usually do their job. Not to mention the fact that I'd make a fool of myself for putting a human's life above Hell's well-being."

It was Charlie's turn to stare, her eyes wide in disbelief. "Wait, _what_? But you just say that your business comes before anything!" She pointed out, puzzled and confused. She gave him a suspicious look. There had to be a trick somewhere. "Are you messing with me?"

"Business _does_ come first. But you said it yourself: we have a deal, so our bond is business as well," he explained patiently, but internally he was enjoying her astonishment. _Maybe_ he was messing a little with her. "I promise that no harm would come to you while working for me and I would be an awful partner if I didn't keep my word. I firmly believe in honesty, at least when I make a contract. Or, in this case, start a partnership with someone who is ready to show me the same level of loyalty."

"Why should I trust your word?" Charlie questioned, but raised a hand to prevent him from answering. "Don't, please. I'm too tired for your complicated speeches. I…I'll just take what you say, as a proof that I'm serious about this…" She waved a hand between them. "Business-ship? Whatever it is." She hesitated for a moment, running her fingers in her hair. Maybe she should allow herself to believe his words. Crowley was a demon and demons were supposed to be evil, selfish, sadistic creatures. And yet something in his tone pushed her to take the risk. "And thanks," she added in the end. For saying that you'd literally bear a Hell of complaints just to stand up for me. Even if it's a lie…Well, it was nice to hear that, _partner_." She stood up and held out a hand towards him.

Crowley stared at it for a moment, then he grabbed and shook it. "You're getting in serious troubles, my dear girl," he warned with a slightly amuse smirk. "No sane person would ever treat the Devil so friendly. And we don't want anyone to think that you actually like me."

"Then I'm not as sane as you think. And you're not that bad, after all. Even if you let me fall down a bridge. Besides, I'm already sure that you do like me, _darling_," she talked back with a knowing expression, a smile threatening to blossom on her lips. The demon's handshake was firm and sure, but his skin was oddly cool. "And, trust me, I'm not the only one who's risking troubles by making this deal."

"I can't deny it. My bad." The King of Hell shrugged. "I guess it is worth it."

They both looked down at their still joined hands and, after a moment, the creature freed his own from her grip. He took a step back, signalling that he was about to excuse himself.

"I advise you to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be an important day for both of us," he said quietly soon after. "I'll see you tomorrow. Call me when you're back home."

"Sure. I'm really tired. And I guess you have something important to do. You always do after all. Running a kingdom can't be easy," she nodded, biting back a yawn. "I'll see you tomorrow then. If I survive."

"I'm sure you will. Have a nice evening, Charlie."

"You too, Crowley."

She had barely had the time to speak the last three words that the demon was gone. She switched her laptop off and stirred, heading towards the kitchen. She could use a cup of hot chocolate to relax her nerves. Maybe the sweet taste would make her forget for a bit what was waiting for her the next day and allow her to get some real rest. She put the mug in the microwave and glanced at her phone. Gabriel had sent her a photo of some mythology books and a crying emoticon. She shook her head, with a small chuckle. Poor guy. She really pitied him in that moment, archangel or not. Even if researching couldn't be that bad compared to facing the Leviathans' boss.

As soon as it was ready, she took a picture of her steamy cup and texted it back to the former Trickster. "_Try it. It helps a lot with gloomy moods!_" She wrote as a caption. Then she left the mobile in charge and headed towards the bedroom, yawning. She would worry about Roman when she woke up. Now the only thing she wanted was getting some sleep.

** ж**

Sam sighed, quickly scanning another pile of books. He couldn't find anywhere the one he had been reading the evening before. He had already spent fifteen minutes looking for it, but in vain. He was sure that he had left it together with the others he had selected from Bobby's library the previous afternoon, but it was nowhere to be found. It had disappeared.

"Sammy! Breakfast ready!" Dean's voice called for the kitchen in that moment, filling the quietness of the house. "Be quick or it'll get cold!"

"Coming!" He called back, putting down the last group of volumes he had checked and running a hand in his hair. He would keep searching later. They hadn't eaten too much the evening before and he was a bit hungry.

With a new sigh, he walked into the next room, where his brother and Bobby were already sat at the table. He joined them with a small nod of greeting and poured a cup of coffee for himself. Dean was eating a huge slice of the pie that was set in the middle of the table and that looked suspiciously similar to the one that Gabriel had made them in Mountain Pines, while the old man was reading a newspaper.

"Hey, have you seen the book I was reading yesterday by chance?" He asked, cutting a small piece of the sweet for himself too. He didn't share his sibling's sweet tooth, but the archangel's home-made food was simply amazing. "I'm sure I left it on the desk when I went to bed, but I can't find it."

"You mean that idiotic volume filled with children fairy tales?" The older Winchester questioned back with his mouth still half full. A bit of sweet fell from his lips, but he immediately caught it with his fingers, stuffing it in his mouth again.

"Those aren't fairy tales, but old legend, Dean," Sam corrected him, rolling his eyes. At times he wondered if his brother ever took seriously something that wasn't his car or his food. "Yeah, that one, anyway."

"They looked like a bunch of shit to me," the other hunter commented, reaching out for his mug and taking a big sip of coffee. "I read a few pages after my soap was over, but I got so bored that I must have fallen asleep on it."

The younger Winchester rolled his eyes. "You were half drunk, Dean. I bet you don't even remember half of what you have read," he pointed out, exasperated. "Whatever. Where did you put it?"

Dean shrugged. "Back on the desk. I think."

"What do you mean with _you think_?!" Sam exclaimed incredulous. "I need it, Dean! I still hadn't read it all! What if there was something useful in it?!"

"Hey, I was drunk! You said it!" The older hunter protested loudly, pointing a jam covered fingers in his sibling direction. "You can't expect me to remember exactly what I've done." He then rolled his eyes. "Why do you bother? If there's something useful for us it surely wasn't in there!"

"Stop fighting, you idjits," Bobby interjected, lifting his eyes from his newspaper. He couldn't even read with all the noise that the brother's were making "You two argue more that an old marry couple. Stop wasting your breath. Dean, finish your breakfast and look for that damned book. Sam, take another one and get to work. Is it so difficult?"

The Winchesters glared at each other but nodded, even if their reluctance was evident. Sam busied himself with his food, trying not to give into the irritation that still stirred in his chest. All that situation was oddly familiar to him, but he couldn't had said why. There was something in his mind that he couldn't put into focus, most likely the same memory or thought that surely was giving him the feeling of déjà-vu. He tried to figure it out, but it remained just a vague sensation, no matter how hard he tried. In the end he just gave up and got up to go back to his research, shooting another nasty glance to Dean, who instead was taking his time, and receiving a similar look in response.

He had just reached the threshold when a sudden popping sound made him turn around again. Gabriel had appeared in the middle of the room, wearing only a pair of flashy boxers made of what looked awfully like silk and an undershirt. The archangel stirred widely, letting out small a series of faint groans, and let himself fall in the chair the younger hunter had just vacated.

"Ah, my siblings don't know what they miss not sleeping, especially in one of those awesome five-stars beds…" He commented in a cheerful tone, grabbing a biscuit. "I missed it so much when I was dead. I feel _great_."

"Put on some clothes next time?" Dean told him, glaring at the newcomer, while Sam simply raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm _eating_, can't you see that?"

"So what? I would have come here naked if I had wanted to ruin your appetite," the archangel talked back calmly, not touched at all by his harsh tone. He chewed his cookie. "And, come on, Deano. You can stop pretending, we're all family here. You enjoy good-looking men almost as much as you love hot, pretty girls."

The older Winchester snorted. "I can't decide which the biggest crap is. Me liking dudes or you being _handsome_." He turned to shoot a hard look at the younger hunter. "And you don't have a say in this!"

"What?! I had no intention of entering your childish spat!" Sam protested loudly, opening his arms. He couldn't understand why his brother had to drag him into the discussion every time that the former Trickster was somehow involved. "I just want my book, the one _you _lost. So, Dean, get your sorry ass in the living room and find it."

"It's better than listening to this idiot," Dean mumbled, finishing his coffee and getting up to follow his younger sibling in the other room.

Gabriel hummed, cutting himself a huge slice of pie, and snapped his fingers, turning his coffee in thick hot chocolate with as snap of finger, a lazy smirk lingering on his lips. He _loved_ messing with the Winchesters, they always gave him great satisfaction. Feeling observed, he lifted his eyes from his breakfast and saw Bobby staring questioningly at him. He blinked once and asked, with his mouth half full of pie: "What?"

"Where's that book, Trickster?" The old man questioned, in an incredibly patient, crossing his arms. "And don't try to deny it, I know it was you. You did the same back in Ohio. Played pranks on them and made them accuse each other."

"I hid it in your bedroom. It's useless, there's no information that we could need in there. I checked before stealing it," the archangel answered with a shrug, not looking upset about his trick being found out. "I should have imagined that you'd find out about my little game. You don't rush straight to conclusion as our boys do. Are you going to tell them?"

"I have a lot of experience and a good memory," Bobby stated back with the same non-caring tone. Then a small grin appeared on his face. "Nah, I'll let you children play for now. You aren't causing any harm, so there's no need for me to intervene. For now, at least. Besides, I want to see how much it would take them to figure it out. Last time I had to tell them myself."

"Have I ever told you that I like your way of thinking, Bobby Singer?" Gabriel smirked widely, turning slightly to shoot a glance at the living room, from where the brothers' annoyed voices where coming. That was going to be so much fun. "But don't expect too much from them. It will take them a _long _time to figure it out!"

The man snorted, shaking his head, and turned his attention back to his newspaper.

The morning was spent quietly for most part. Dean couldn't find the book, not even after turning upside-down the whole living room, and in the end Sam gave up asking him to keep searching. The noise that his older brother was making prevented him from focusing on his reading and it wasn't definitely worth the trouble. After all there was really nothing really useful in that volume, so he allowed the other to wander off in the backyard to do whatever he wanted, while he and Bobby took care of the researches.

The older Winchester didn't even try to hide his mirth at the news and left the house without having to be told twice to work on his car. He needed to fix the last traces that the pink paint had left and clean the engine. Taking care of his Baby always helped his mood and he needed it in that moment. While they were hunting the Ker he had had a pretext that had kept his mind away from any disturbing thoughts for most of the time, but, now that he didn't have any monster to deal with, he could no longer escape them.

He grumbled, running a hand on his face. The truth was that, in spite of everything, he was worried about a certain idiotic angel, who was off somewhere completely alone, in the middle of a fucking war. Not to mention the fact that the said creature was losing his powers quickly. He didn't regret what he had told Castiel few days ago, because he needed to make his best friend face what he had done to him, but perhaps he now was starting to think that he should have used other words and especially a different tone. Maybe if he had, now the angel would still be with them and he wouldn't need to be concerned about the bastard's sorry ass. They would have surely had other fights and the atmosphere would have been tense between them because he had no intention of forgiving the other so easily, but it would have been better than knowing that he was wandering somewhere and looking for only-God-knew what.

He grabbed a cloth and slipped under the car. The main problem was that he was angry with himself almost as much he was furious with Castiel. He couldn't forgive the angel for having betrayed his trust as he couldn't forget that he had let himself trust the creature so much in the first place. And that fact made him angrier than the thought of what his former best friend had done to Sam or of that he had chosen to work with a demon. He had been stupid enough to let Castiel in so deeply, revealing his weaknesses, allowing him to stand by his side without ever checking on what he was really doing.

He closed his eyes. There was a reason why he had almost never had really close friends or a real relationship. It wasn't just because the life he did, but also because he had learnt at a very young age that people always disappointed you in the end. With his father, Sam and Bobby it was different because they were his real family and he would always stand up for them, no matter what they could do to him. But Castiel was another matter. He wasn't even human and he had been almost an enemy to him at first. And yet he had fallen for the undying faith that shone in those deep blue eyes. Faith in their struggle, faith in humanity, faith in _him_. Angels needed to believe in something, it was their way of being. And after being disappointed by God, Cas had turned to him, the last person who could offer hope and comfort, to have a new point of reference. How could he have said no to the one being who had given everything up for his sake? Now he was starting to think that the choice he had made had been one of the worst mistakes of his life.

"You alive, kiddo?" Gabriel's voice came from above him, making him start and almost hit his head against the metal above him.

Dean looked at the cloth he was still holding and realised that he had been staring at the bottom of his car without doing anything for the whole time. He felt his annoyance grew at that and he came out from under the vehicle, just to find the archangel perched on the hood. The latter was wearing a knowing grin that told the hunter that he knew exactly what had been going in his head, fact that didn't help his already bad mood.

"Get the fuck off my Baby," he ordered imperiously, glaring at him. "What the hell are you doing here? Shouldn't you be bugging Sam or something? I was trying to work, you knew?"

"Really? I didn't know that you could clean an engine just by _staring_ at it," the shorter man talked back in an amused tone, not bothering to move from his spot. "You could have told me that you had superpowers, Deano! We could have compared them." He clapped his hands. "You know, how it works. I show you mine if you show me yours."

"Shut up, Trickster. I was thinking," the hunter mumbled, irritation clear in his tone. He wasn't in the mood for Gabriel's games. He never was, but in that moment his patience towards them was even thinner than the usual. He really didn't know how Sam could bear them. He could see that his brother got exasperated too, but there was almost always a hint of amusement in his face when he scolded the creature after every ill-placed comment or joke. It was as if Sam could see in them something that Dean couldn't.

Seeing that the archangel for once was doing as he was told and shutting up, he remained quiet for a moment in turn, playing with the cloth in his hands. Maybe, since there was no denying what had been occupying his mind with Gabriel, he could as well exploit the situation and force the other to talk in turn. After all he was almost sure that the archangel had been keeping an eye on Castiel. He would have done the same with Sam in a similar situation.

"Where's that idiot of your brother now?" He asked without a warning, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. "And don't give me the why-should-I-know crap because I know that you've been checking on him." He didn't care if the former Trickster would take up the chance to tease him once again. He needed to know that Castiel was alright.

Gabriel stared at him for a while before speaking, titling his head on one side in a way that reminded him strongly of the younger angel. "Why are you asking? I thought you didn't care," he questioned back, without offering an answer. "But you do instead, don't you, Dean? And you miss him most likely as much as he misses you."

Dean closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. The seriousness in his speaker's voice was even worse than his usual teasing. "Don't answer a question with another question. No shit this time, Gabriel." He said rolling his eyes and trying to hide his uneasiness. It was true, he missed his friend, even more than he had expected, especially considering what the angel had done to him and Sam. But he couldn't help it. "Just tell me."

The archangel jumped off the car. He could see the concern among the rage in Dean's soul and that was enough to tell him that the hunter was as worried as he was about Castiel, no matter how angry and hurt he could be. He wondered briefly if his younger sibling was aware of how much the older Winchester cared for him. And, of course, the feeling was mutual. The other angel would have done everything for Dean's sake, no matter how much it would have cost to him. Part of the reason why they were all in that situation was because Castiel hadn't wanted to ruin the hunter's chance of a normal life.

He looked up at the sky. He was feeling the odd need to answer the question he had been asked, just to see Dean's shoulder relax a bit. The two of them had never got along, but they still had some things in common. Not to mention that Dean's words had been the ones to push him to rethink his role during the Apocalypse. The real problem was that he didn't have an answer for the human. He had tried hard, but he hadn't been able to locate his sibling, which was driving him crazy. He hated not being able to do what he wanted. Besides, as he had told Charlie, he was afraid of not being able to reach his brother in time in case of necessity.

"He's fine," he answered, concealing his own concern, well aware that he was avoiding the question once again. Then he added in a firmer tone, raising both his eyebrows: "You could try to pray to him. Maybe he'll answer _you_."

He held the hunter's gaze for a while. He wasn't sure that making him call Castiel would work, but if there was someone the angel would answer to it was Dean Winchester. However, he couldn't allow the other to question him further or the other would end up noticing his turmoil. He didn't want to explain what was going on with Castiel. He knew that he would have to, and soon, but just not yet. He needed to change the subject. And he exactly knew how. A smirk opened on his face.

"Oh, by the way. I saw Sammy rummaging in your room," he added in a nonchalant tone. "I've always thought that you were the only one in the family with a passion for porn. But apparently I was wrong. Little Sammy has his dirty secrets too! And he didn't really strike me as the type, especially after his reaction to us watching that video…"

"Wait, _what_?!" Dean exclaimed incredulous, forgetting the comment he was about to make about the former Trickster not-answer to his question. "Sam doesn't watch or read that stuff! He would have no reason to…" Then a thought hit him and he threw his hands in the air. "That bitch! He wants to get back at me for losing his stupid book! If he does something to my things I'll make him feel sorry for the rest of his fucking life!"

The archangel watched him stormed towards the house, his grin widening in amusement and satisfaction. He knew that he risked giving himself away if he got directly involved in the pranks he was secretly playing, but he enjoyed them too much and want to have a ringside seat to the lovely show.

With a chuckle, he followed the hunter back to the building, walking much more calmly than the other had. Poor Sam. He would never hear the end of it when Dean would notice that one of his precious issues was missing. The older Winchester would surely accuse the younger to have hidden it, while the latter would state that it was the first who couldn't take care of his things and that he surely had lost it somewhere during a hunt. That would lead to Dean playing on Sam another prank, one that Gabriel would have made worse than it was intended, and so on, until they realised that something was off. His eyes shone with mischief. He really couldn't wait.

Sam let out a half growl, running a wet hand on his face in exasperation. His brother was really exaggerating. Even if he had taken his damned magazine, which he had _not_, it wouldn't have earned him to find fucking hot sauce in everything he had drunk or eaten during the day, not to mention on his favourite shirt. His throat now was on fire and he was really pissed off because the stain didn't seem to have any intention of going away anytime soon, no matter how much soap he put on it or how hard he rubbed. Dean would pay for it, that was sure. And this time he would do something worse than simply crumpling a couple of pages. Maybe he could reciprocate the favour and put something nasty in his drink. Or bring a whole vegan meal for the other, since it was his turn to get the food. Or, even worse, he could do something to his car again. He let a small smirk spread on his face at the thought. He could really slash one of the tires. Like Gabriel had done back in Ohio, while he was trying to keep them busy fighting each other…

A sudden thought hit him at the memory, but he didn't have the time to elaborate it because in that exact moment he discovered that the new bottle of soap he had opened was filled with hot sauce as well. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed until it had been too late. He let out an exasperate groan and throw it in the bin, staring at the mess he had done for a moment. That was too much.

He cleaned his hands on a towel and slammed the door open. "Dean!" He yelled, furious. "You damned jerk, come up here _now_!"

He had to wait some minutes before hearing the other's slow steps climbing the stairs and by the time his sibling had joined him he was tapping his foot in impatience. Dean appeared on the threshold wearing a satisfied smirk, which just increased Sam's annoyance, and leaned against the jamb, watching him without even trying to hide his amusement.

"What's up, Sammy?" he teased in a mocking tone. "Can't even wash a shirt?"

"Don't try me, Dean. I've no patience left for your shit right now," Sam warned him, but kept his voice low voice, looking resentfully at his once beautiful shirt. "You're a real jerk, you know? And you're punishing me for something I haven't done!"

"What is that supposed to mean?!" The older hunter exclaimed, crossing his arms and taking a step towards his sibling. "You stole one of my favourite magazines!"

The younger Winchester rolled his eyes. "I didn't take your damned porn! I told you! And, besides, you lost my book first."

"Oh, of course, the fucking book." Dean scoffed. "And what about those horrible graffiti on my Baby? Those are far worse than losing a book!"

"Is that so? Well, _you_ started it dying my clothes pink!"

"I didn't do it on purpose!"

They were now standing in front of each other, their face a few inches away and wearing the same stubborn and angry expression. Dean still had his arms crossed, while Sam's hands were resting firmly on his hips. In the end it was the younger to break the eye contact, not caring about the other gloating for having won that stupid staring contest. His mind was back on the epiphany he had had before finding out that the soap had been replaced.

"Doesn't this all seem awfully familiar to you?" He asked then with a sigh, distancing himself to be able to lean against the sink. "As if we've already gone through a similar situation?"

The older Winchester looked thoughtful for a moment, briefly forgetting his irritation. Sam was right. There was something oddly familiar in that scene. It wasn't the first time they played pranks on each other, but there was something off in the whole situation. They usually admitted everything they did, because that was part of the fun, while now they were always denying at least a part of it. "Yeah…"

"Can you see why that is?" The younger questioned again, receiving a shake of head in response. He lifted his eyes. His sibling was so damned slow at times. "I'll give you a clue then. A missing laptop, slashed tires, a college in Ohio, we hunting…"

"Son of a bitch!" Dean exclaimed incredulous, cutting him off. He didn't need any more details. He knew exactly what his brother was talking about. How hadn't he realised it sooner? That time they were even well aware of having a Trickster walking around them. "It's _Gabriel_! Why didn't we realise before?!"

"Because he's awfully good at this. And we're terrible when it comes to trick each other. I've arrived at the conclusion almost by chance a moment before I called you up here," Sam answered with a sigh. "Do you believe me now? I didn't draw a huge graffiti on your car, nor did I steal your porn. And you didn't dye my clothes pink or lost my book. It was all _him_."

"We're so _stupid_! He tricked us again. In the same fucking way!" The elder groaned unhappily, feeling the need to slap himself. "The bastard knows that we just throw ourselves at each other when we start fighting. And he exploits it." A determine frown appeared on his face. "But he isn't getting away with it so easily this time! We'll get back at him on his same ground."

"Dean, don't be an even worse idiot. You can't beat a Trickster on his same ground" the younger hunter tried, patiently. The last thing they needed was one of his sibling's brilliant ideas. "We'll just go to him and tell him to stop. I don't want to deal with useless troubles. We've got more important things to deal with right now."

"We tricked him twice, we can do it again," the other pointed out stubbornly, determination shining in his eyes. "I'm fucking tired of him messing with us. Besides, he isn't a real trickster. And we're good at dealing with angels. We stopped an Apocalypse, for fuck's sake!"

Sam shook his head, worried by the expression that his brother was wearing. "Dean, I still don't think it's a good idea. And what are you planning to do? Ruining his snacks? Trapping him in a circle of holy fire for a day? It would annoy him, but I think that we'll just get to have him playing even more pranks on us."

"I don't know yet, but I'll figure out the right way to show him that playing us is an awful idea," Dean claimed firmly. "You're with me or you're against me. Your choice, Sam, I don't care. I just thought that you wanted to get back at him for all the times he has embarrassed you."

The other hunter lifted his eyes, and then sighed. He had a very bad feeling about the whole affair, but he knew that his brother was too stubborn to see how stupid his idea was. The only way he had to avoid the worst was keeping a close eye on him. "Fine, I'll help you," he agreed in the end, even if with reluctance. "But if it doesn't work, you'll have to admit that I was right."

"Deal," the elder nodded, soundly too satisfied and excited for Sam's likings. He smirked a little, while the shadow of an idea started to fill his mind. "Now we just need to find a nice and effective way to teach the asshole a lesson."


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

Castiel stared at the landscape running before his eyes through the car window. By the driver seat Shane was telling him about a particularly fun hunt that had kept she and Richard busy a couple of years before, but he wasn't really listening. His thoughts were elsewhere, occupied by an odd feeling he couldn't work out and that made him restless. He wondered if it was some kind of foreboding, a warning that his fading Grace was trying to send him. It could have been, but he hadn't been able to interpret those signals for some time by now, so it was impossible for him to grasp its real meaning.

"Cas? Are you alright?" Shane asked in that moment, snapping him out of his thoughts. She had to have noticed that he wasn't listening to what she had been saying. "You're even quieter than your usual self. Are you feeling uncomfortable for what happened yesterday?"

He narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What are you referring to?" He asked, sincerely puzzled, as he tried to scan the events of the previous days to find an explanation to the woman's question.

She sighed shaking her head. "Me almost kissing you? Remember?" She answered, but then she shook her head. "Never mind. Apparently it's not what's troubling you. And I'm glad. I'd have never forgiven myself if I had ruined our friendship for something so stupid."

"You don't need to feel guilt or uneasy for your actions, Shane. I told you last night," he reassured her calmly. Then he titled his head on one side. "Are we…friends?"

She glared at him. "Of course we are, you weirdo! Come on, I've been confiding you all my embarrassing secrets and we talked about lots of emotional stuff!" She answered firmly, half amused and half exasperate. Castiel was impossible at times. "That's what friends do! You told me yesterday that you'd be glad to give me your friendship. But apparently you haven't realised that you've already done it."

"But there are so many truths about me that you don't know, Shane," the angel pointed out, looking away. He was sure that the woman wouldn't have looked at him in the same way if she had known what he was and what he had done. "Truths that are essential to understand who I really am. You don't know the wrongs that I have done, the sins that I have committed. How can you trust someone who has so many secrets?"

"You saved my _life_, Cas. That's enough for me," she pointed out, shrugging, her eyes looking for his. "I don't know what you've done to think so low of yourself, but there's something I know for sure: whatever you're hiding won't change that I'm alive thanks to _you_. Your secrets perhaps will explain why you're so weird, but nothing more. One day you'll tell me, I'm sure of it, but not yet. I'm a curious person, but I know when to mind my own business."

Castiel nodded, even if it was clear that he didn't agree with anything she had said, and went back to stare at the window, captured once again by his obscure presentiment. He had learnt how stubborn his companion could be and by now he knew that there was no use in trying to make her change her mind. She was so much like Dean in that. He frowned even more at the thought of the hunter. He wondered how he and Sam were. He was sure that Gabriel would do a good job watching over them, but he still felt longing for his friends' company, Dean's in particular. He forced himself to push that thought away. He couldn't dwell on it, not until he had found what he was looking for.

The young woman sighed again seeing that the conversation was fated to stay one-sided and decided that she could as well just avoid talking. Maybe they both could use some alone time in their head, and some music too. Their destination shouldn't be too far. She switched the radio on and grabbed her cell phone to look at the time, but it started ringing as soon as she touched it. She quickly lifted it up.

"Shane speaking," she answered. She listened for a few moments and then her eyes widened in astonished horror. "What?! How…What happened?!" She exclaimed, her voice a bit more piercing than usual. "Bastards! I swear…Yes, sorry…About an hour. Sure…Got it. I'll be as quick as possible. See you there, Uncle." She put down the phone and frowned deeply, her lips close in a tight line as she sped up.

Castiel turned to look at her questioning. In her eyes he could see anger and especially worry, and maybe even fear. He could feel the tension that stiffened her shoulders spread in the air around them. Something had happened, something terrible, he could sense it clearly. The lines on her forehead deepened slightly as she silently turned slightly towards him.

"Shane," he said simply, not feeling the need to add anything else. It wasn't a question, but its meaning was crystal clear.

She stared at him for a moment and then spoke: "Richard's been captured."

The rest of the ride was spent in a tense silent. Shane drove fast, much more than it was allowed by the speed limits, but none of them cared about it in that moment and luckily for them the road was not busy, which made the ride even quicker. Castiel's foreboding had got stronger and stronger since the news of Richard's abduction and he couldn't help thinking that they were about to throw themselves in whatever trouble was causing his nasty feeling. For a moment he thought about telling the young woman about it, but in the end he decided against it. He would have had to give too many explanations he couldn't offer. So he remained silent and watched the countryside ran before his eyes for the next half an hour, until they reached the city.

Once there, Shane slowed down a bit, attentively checking the road signs to find the motel where her uncle and her cousin were staying. It took them ten whole more minutes to arrive there and when they got off the car they found Thomas waiting for them outside the door of the room he and Richard had been occupying.

"Come in," he ordered in a hurried tone. "I'll bring you up-to-date and then we'll go. I have already prepared whatever we could need."

The other two obeyed and quickly got inside, and the older hunter closed the door after them. Castiel noticed that the room was kept much tidier than Dean's and Sam's usual ones. There were no empty food boxes or dirty clothes spread around. The weapons for their next mission were tidily set on one of the beds, just waiting for them to pick them up. He shot them a brief look, taking notice of the big amount of holy water, iron bullets and salt present. They were about to hunt a bunch of demons apparently.

Thomas took a few steps around the room, clearly trying to calm himself down and then started to talk. "We had just finished taking care of the killings. A weak pagan god, nothing complicated. We had gone to a bar to drink something to celebrate and that was when I overheard two men talking. One of them was insisting on the fact that he had seen five guys kidnapping a young woman the night before. His companion asked him why he hadn't gone to the police and he answered that they wouldn't have believed him because he had seen the men's eyes turning black. The other had tried to make him admit that it could have been just because of the dark, but he never changed his version. We've approached them and asked some questions. The man had to be completely nuts or drunk because he had followed the group to their refuge. Luckily they hadn't notice him."

He made a small pause and ran his fingers in his greying hair, resuming his pacing too. "Rich and I decided that it was worth investigating. We got to the place, an old abandoned farm, and found it empty, so we went inside. And then we made a big mistake. We separated. He went looking for the girl, while I wandered around trying to find out what a bunch of demons could be doing there. I found some papers, but while I was going through them they came back. I manage to get out, Rich didn't." He ran a hand on his face and sigh. "He's alive, I've stayed hidden for a while near the refuge. I saw them manhandling him into the barn. Maybe the girl is there too, if they haven't already killed her. I couldn't do anything. They're expecting me to come back and I can't deal with them all alone."

"Have you managed to get some information out of the paper you have found?" Castiel asked, in a completely calm. He could see Shane's same turmoil in the man's eyes, but there was no time to be tactful. Demons were unpredictable and Richard was risking his life.

"They were looking for something or someone, I think," the old hunter answered slowly, giving him a strange look. "They were tracking down specific signals, but I didn't have the time to understand exactly what."

"I see," the angel nodded, still emotionless. He looked thoughtful for a moment. Maybe Crowley was planning something now that their deal had been broken. He wouldn't have been surprised to find out that the King of Hell had a back-up plan. "We will figure it out once we get there. Our priority now is saving Richard."

"Yeah, that's the spirit, Cas! No more chatting. Let's kick the bastards' asses!" Shane exclaimed with determination, but her excitement was in part forced. She was still a bit pale and her lips were still strained in an unnatural way. "We need to get Rich back."

Thomas nodded without a word and then they quickly carried what they needed to the car the car. The two humans loaded their guns, taking two each, and the older man offered one to the angel, who declined it saying that he would do fine with his blade. The answer earned him another suspicious glance and so he accepted without complaints the bottles of holy water that Shane gave him. He wasn't good with fire weapons, but the water was much easier to use and could be a nice aid in a fight against multiple opponents. It could serve as a distraction.

While driving, Thomas explained the plan he had elaborated. Separating had been a horrible idea when he and Richard had gone to the farm the night before, but now they didn't have an alternative. The demons outnumbered them and were surely patrolling the perimeter, waiting for the older man to show up. They wouldn't let them in the barn easily and there was the risk that they decided to kill their hostages. A distraction was need, something that could keep most of their enemies busy while they freed Richard and the woman.

Castiel immediately took the opportunity, volunteering to conduct an attack on the other side of the farm to catch the demons' attention. The demons would surely recognise him for what he was which meant that Shane and her uncle would have learnt the truth in turn if he battled with them. He couldn't have that. Besides, even in his weakened state, he was still the one with more chances to be able to keep the creatures busy long enough.

The two hunters protested loudly against it, but he calmly stated once again that their priority were the hostages and that they didn't have the time to come up with a more complex plan. The young woman kept shooting him worried looks for the rest of the ride, but he ignored them, his face perfectly blank but determine. He had managed three demons in the desert and then four angels. He was fairly sure that he could do it again, even if this time the number of his opponents would be higher.

They left the car on the road near the farm and then carefully walked their way towards the building, stopping in a hidden spot among the trees that surrounded the place. Thomas turned towards them, a resolute look on his face.

"Here we are," he whispered quietly. He pointed one of the buildings. "The barn is there. Castiel, you should circle the place keeping in the woods until you get on the other side. Shane and I will wait for the fight to start before moving. I counted eight demons last night. A couple should remain to watch the barn, but you'll have at least six opponents." His eyes searched the angel's. "Are you sure you can manage?"

"Yes," the creature replied without hesitation. A bunch of demons was nothing compared to stopping an Apocalypse and fighting a war in Heaven. "Do not fear for me. I can take care of them. Worry about Richard."

Shane rested her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. "Be careful, Cas," she said, looking at him with concern. "If it's too much, don't overdo. Alright?"

He gave her a curt nod and turned around, walking away without looking back. He could feel the humans' eyes on him, but he ignored the waves of worry that their stares were sending him. He briefly wondered if they would be as concerned as they were if they had known what he was. Dean used to worry about him before his betrayal, no matter how many times he had told him that he could manage himself. The thought brought him a new pang of guilt and melancholy, but he immediately chased it away, quickening his pace until he was sure that he reached a spot where the hunters could no longer see him. Once there he spread his wings and took off.

He noticed two demons watching the main entrance, as he landed just behind the corner, hidden in the shadows. While flying he had spotted other two patrolling each side of the perimeter. The other four had to be in the barn with the hostages. He should have the time to neutralise the first two before the others arrived.

He tightened his grip on his blade and stepped out from his hiding place, ready to fight. The two hellish creatures immediately turned, sensing his presence, but Castiel was on the closest one before they could do or say anything, his sword sinking in his chest.

"Angel!" The second roared as he watched his companion fall dead on the ground. "Son of a bitch! I'll teach you a lesson now!"

His shouts attracted the others hellish creatures and without a warning the other members of the group materialized in clouds of black smoke, circling him. He counted six figures, seven with the already dead one. It meant that only a demon had stayed behind to watch the barn and surely Shane and Thomas could handle it.

"What's an angel doing here?" A woman in her fifty growled, her voice full of hatred. "You featherheads should just learn to mind your own business!"

"Let's say I have come to throw away the garbage," Castiel stated, slowly turning to be able to watch all his opponents' movement. His free hand closed around the cork of the bottle he had tied to his belt. "However, I have more important businesses waiting for me elsewhere, so I'd prefer if we could make this quick."

"You should have gone straight to do what need to do, little angel," a man said, mockingly. "Now it will wait for you forever, because you won't get away alive! And I swear you that we won't make it a quick death for you."

"We will see that," he answered and threw part of the holy water straight in his face.

The demon screamed in pain, caught off guard, and the angel quickly dashed forwards, slitting his throat as he passed him. He didn't even try to banish them, knowing that it would be just a waste of time and powers. His Grace was already too weak.

The hellish creatures didn't take well the fact that he had killed another one of them and immediately stroke back. He narrowly avoided a couple of knives, but in the end the woman who had spoken to him managed to grab him by the coat and slammed him on the ground. The impact made him lose the grip on his blade, which rolled away from him before he could catch it. He made a move to go after his weapon, but something sharp was plunged deep in his back, tearing a groan of pain from his lips. Someone stepped on him, pressing his ribs hard under his feet and he let out a scream as some bones broke with a nasty crack under the violent pressure. The pain exploded in his chest, flooding along his vessel's nerves and blurring his sight for some moments. He fought it back, trying to keep his mind focused on the fight. He couldn't give up or allow himself any sort of break or he would risk succumbing to his enemies.

With a great effort he twisted his arm grabbed the ankle of his aggressor, pulling hard enough to make him fall. He then jumped on his feet, ignoring the pain and the blood running down his back, and looked around.

"Are you looking for this?" One of the demons asked in a mocking tone, showing him the angel blade. Her vessel couldn't be older than seventeen. "What a pity. I pick it up first. So now it's mine. And you'll die, little one."

Castiel reached behind himself, extracting the knife that was still plunged in his back, his eyes narrowing in concentration as he let it fall on the ground. One moment later he appeared behind the girl, his hand going to rest on her forehead. The shock of power wasn't enough to banish her, but it threw her on the ground, stunning her and allowing him to get his weapon back, which he use to finish her before turning towards the others.

The battle got messier and messier, but in the end the angel managed to kill the demons one by one. When the last body fell down he was panting, blood running down his chin and temple, and his sight kept getting blurred. His coat was ripped in many places and stained in red in several spots. The wound on his back was still bleeding and so did the cuts on his hands and the deep slash that run on his chest under the torn cloth of his shirt. He glanced quickly at the corpses, to make sure that they were all dead, and then stated to walk towards the barn, ignoring the dull pain coming from his broken ribs. His sternum had to be cracked too, considering the twinges coming from the centre of his chest. It would take him a good while to heal fully.

The farm was quiet as he passed the old building. The wood of the walls was already deteriorating and gave forth a damp smell. He crossed the space that divided the barn from the rest of the constructions and entered the opened door. Shane was kneeling besides a body, most likely the demon they had fought, checking his pulse. He was still breathing, which meant that they had managed to exorcise him.

She young woman lifted her eyes on him as he stepped closer, her hand running to her gun, but she stopped her movements once she recognised him. "Oh my God!" She exclaimed seeing his poor state. "Cas! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine enough. I should probably change my clothes," he answered studying without concern the blood on his hands. "They are all dead. Where is Thomas?"

"In the next room," she answered and he could see that she was struggling with the need to check his wounds. "With Rich and the girl."

"So she is alive."

"Apparently. Come on, let's join them."

The young woman got up and led him among the haycocks to the second part of the barn. Thomas was standing in the middle of the room, his hands on Richard's shoulders, speaking softly to him. The other hostage was a few steps away from them, her back to the entrance. Shane crossed the threshold to join her family, but Castiel froze on the doorstep, his eyes locked on the other woman. She turned around, sensing his intense gaze on her, and the astonished expression she gave him quickly turned into a malicious smile.

"Oh, look at who's here! Isn't it the Winchesters' pet?" She commented in a mocking tone, running a hand in her messy black hair. "It's been a while, honey! How's that you have new playmates now? Got tired of the old ones?"

"Meg," Castiel said, his voice dark and dangerous. "What are you doing here?"

"You know her?" Shane interjected surprised, her eyes wandering between the two.

Meg ignored her, her gaze never leaving the angel. "Crowley's after me, you should know that. Those idiots you and your little friends killed had the order to bring me to him. Apparently I owe you my life, Clearance. Again," she explained, never stopping smiling. She held out a hand towards him. "I know that Crowley is after you too. Why don't we join force? And I heard that you're having troubles with Raphael. Together we could find a way to get rid of them both."

Castiel stared at her even harder, but made no move to accept her offer. "I don't work with demons," he stated coldly, starting the three hunters who turned towards the woman, a look between astonishment and distaste on their faces.

"Oh, is that so? You're being a real hypocrite, _angel_. I'm disappointed with you. Have you already forgotten your little deal with the current King of Hell?" She mocked, crossing her arms. This time the humans turned towards Castiel, and he couldn't say if they were more shock about by the fact that he was no human or by the said deal. "Besides, after what happened during our last encounter, I thought you had a soft spot on me."

He slightly grimaced at that. "I acted instinctively. It meant nothing."

"Oh, you really know how to break a girl's heart, don't you?" She said in a fake hurt tone, bringing a hand to her chest. Her smile became cruel. "And not only girls'. Your dear Dean must be really hurt by your betrayal, isn't he? You ruined everything, Clarence! What a pity."

Castiel felt a pang of guilty rage flaring up inside him at those words. His blade suddenly appeared in his hands. "Don't you dear to mention Dean! You know nothing!" He exclaimed, his eyes shining brightly and a power he didn't know he still had rushing through his body. The light of the barn went off and after a second of darkness a flash lit up the room again, showing the shadow of the angel's wings.

The demon took a step back, her expression filling with tension. "Susceptible, aren't we? I must have hit a nerve," Meg tried to mock as the lights came back, but her voice was shaking slightly. She hadn't expected him to be still so powerful. "There's no need to get so angry." She did her best to pull herself together, straightening her back. "Anyway, fine, suit yourself. Deal with your troubles alone. Even if I can't really see what a little fallen angel like you can do so far away from home and from his precious friends."

"I could kill you as a start," he stated, in a threatening tone, lifting his swords.

"Touché," she answered, raising her hands in surrender. Then she shot him a defiant look. "But it's not over. I'll see you soon, Clearance." And she was gone before he could do anything.

An awkward silence fell on the room. The angel could feel the three hunters staring at him, so he put his blade away and turned slowly towards them. Shane was looking at him still in shock but mostly in disbelief, while her cousin wore a confused expression, as if he didn't know how to react to the news. Thomas was calmer and he was studying him, deep in thoughts.

In the end it was Richard who broke the silence. He cleared his throat, clearly nervous, and offered the shadow of a smile to Castiel. "So…Angel, uh?"

"Yes," he answered simply.

"Well, son, you have a lot of things to explain to us," the older hunter interjected. He stepped closer to him and examined his state, lifting the hem of his coat. "But first we all need a shower and lunch. And a change of clothes."

The motel room grew silent again once Castiel had finished his monologue. He had explained the basics of Heaven to the hunters, briefly mentioning Lucifer's Fall and God's disappearance. Then he had summed up the Apocalypse starting from him rescuing Dean in Hell and arriving to his oldest brother's defeat. He had kept most of the information for himself, giving out only the most significant facts. Telling them everything would take hours and besides he was convinced that what had happened behind the scenes concerned only his family and the Winchesters. After that, he talked about the civil war that was going on among the angels and explained what had happened between him and Crowley, skipping the part of Sam's lost soul and almost all the details about how he had found Purgatory. They didn't need to know about those issues either.

Once he had been done, he had sat still on Shane's bed, holding his ruined trench coat in his hands, his eyes fixed on the torn cloth. He didn't have enough power to remake it, not while he was still healing. He would take care of it once he would feel better. Richard was leaning against the wardrobe, watching his cousin pacing around the room, while Thomas was seated in one of the armchairs. He was the only one who was still watching the creature.

"Well, this explains why you're so fucking weird. You're a freaking angel!" Shane spoke after many minutes of silent, stopping her tracks. "And also why you feel so guilty. You haven't told us what you've done to poor Sam, but if Dean got so angry it must be something really nasty. You're an idiot. You've harmed your friends! How could you?!"

Castiel lowered his head, feeling ashamed, and Richard tried to intervene: "Shane, it's not our place to judge…"

"Shut up, Rich! I'm not done!" She cut him off, glaring at him hard. Then she turned back towards the angel. "You're an idiot," she repeated in a quieter tone. "But still…I can't ignore the fact that you had the best intention of the world. You surely need to feel bad for what you've done, but I'm still persuaded that if Dean doesn't forgive you he's the most stupid person in this world." Castiel lifted his head incredulous at that, but she went on before he could spoke. "All you've done for him…If I was in his place, I would have punched you and then asked you to marry me, not chased you away. He really doesn't see how much you love him."

"I failed him. And Sam, and all my siblings who believed in me," the angel stated quietly, shaking his head. "I deserve this sorrow."

"We all pay for our mistakes, but burdening ourselves even more on purpose doesn't help us finding a solution," Thomas stepped in, his voice calm and warm. "You'll get nowhere until you forgive yourself, Castiel. Even if your friend did, you still wouldn't be able to start again. It's your guilt that's preventing you from finding your way. It's consuming you slowly, destroying you piece by piece. You state that you're looking for redemption, but what I think is that you're persuaded that you don't deserve to be forgiven."

Those words hit the angel like a shock. They were so similar to the ones he had told Dean the day of their first encounter on Earth. The hunter was so filled with guilt and hatred for himself that he couldn't believe in himself, he couldn't see how bright and beautiful his broken soul was. And Castiel hadn't been able to just stand and watch him denigrating himself and wasting his potential. If Dean wasn't able to see it by himself, then he would have shown him. Because every scar, every sin, every stain was what made him so special. If those marks hadn't been there, he would have never decided to take the fall for that odd human's sake. Angels had been taught since the day of their creation to love God and nothing else. But when one of them, for some reason, opened his or her essence to something else, nothing could kill the devotion that would blossom inside them. That was what had happened to him when he had chosen to fall for humanity, for _Dean_. He knew that Thomas was right, but it was that same commitment that didn't allow him to forgive himself for what he had done to the being that mattered the most to him.

"I can't," he let out in a whisper in the end, shaking his head. "My mistakes have been to great this time. I can't let them go."

"You must try. If not for yourself, do it for your loved ones," Thomas stated, firm and severe. Then he got up. "We should leave. Our job here is done. Castiel, you're welcome to stay with us as long as you need to. If you wish to leave, you're free to go, but I'd advise you to wait at least until your wounds are healed."

The angel bowed his head. "Thank you, Thomas," he said in a sincere tone. He knew that he should leave, especially after the massacre he had done among the demons. Maybe Crowley had sent some of his minions after him as he had done with Meg and he didn't want to put the Bales in danger. He was already risking attracting his brothers' attention on them and it was more than enough. On the other hand he knew that with his wounds he wouldn't be able to face another serious fight for a while and he didn't have somewhere safe where he could go. The only good place for hiding he knew was at Bobby's, but he couldn't go back. Not yet. "I think I'll take you suggestion."

"Good. Some back up is always welcomed. And you have proved to be an excellent partner," the man nodded, sounding satisfied. "Let's pack then. Lawrence called me. Something strange is going on in South Dakota."

Richard immediately started to help his father with the luggage, while Shane grabbed Castiel's arm and pulled him in the bathroom. "Off with that shirt, angel boy," she ordered, taking out disinfectant and a needle. "Superpowers or not, we can't let those wounds get infected."

"You don't have to do this, Shane," Castiel pointed out, but obeyed and stripped anyway. "I am not weak enough yet to be bothered by human illnesses."

"I know I don't have, but I want to." She offered him a small smile as she started to carefully wash the dried blood off his skin. "That's what friends do. They take care of each other."

He stared at her, incredulity filling his eyes. "You still want to be called my friend? After all I have told you?"

"Of course I do. I told you this morning. I won't change my mind on you. You saved me and you stood against a bunch of demons to save Rich. That's what matters to me," she answered firmly, pouring the disinfectant on the wounds. "The difference is that now I know why you're so weird. Besides, having an angel friend is lots of fun. And who can boast about having one? Winchesters aside. You'll make me super popular!"

"No one has ever told me that I'm fun or popular," Castiel mattered, titling his head. He could feel his wounds burn under the woman's treatment, but it wasn't as bad as when he had received them. "Gabriel's the one with the sense of humour. Even if it's very questionable."

"The brother who's staying with you? You'll have to introduce me to him one day," Shane stated, grabbing the thread to start with the stitches. She didn't even try to explain what she had meant, because with Castiel it would have been just a waste of breath. "Oh, by the way. What happened with that bitch?"

He frowned in confusion. "I am sure I have never had anything to do with a female dog, Shane." He answered, turning his head to look at her.

She ran a hand on her face, exasperated. "Are you angels always so literal? No, don't tell me. I bet it's just you," she commented with a sigh, but there was a hint of amusement in her tone. "I meant "bitch" as "whore". And I was referring to that demon girl. 'Cause she is a bitch, figuratively speaking at least."

"Oh. Meg is a bitch," Castiel mumbled pensively, too busy with considering the statement to notice the look of pure satisfaction that had appeared on Shane's face as he spoke those words. "I kissed her," he stated matter-of-factly after a moment. "Or rather, she kissed me to steal my sword and so I kissed her back."

The young woman stopped what she was doing and looked at him astonished. "_What_?! Why did you do something like that?" She exclaimed almost horrified. "And you refused to kiss _me_! Have you look at her? I'm much prettier than that bitch! Ah, what's wrong with you, Cas?"

"It's what I saw in the film that Dean gave me to watch. I just copied it. I thought it was how I should act," he explained frowning. Everyone had stared at him astonished after he had released the demon from his embrace and it had made him feel even worse. "It felt…empty. I have been told that that kind of acts should demonstrate love or bring pleasure to one, but it didn't for me. I didn't like it, not as I should have at least. The sensation itself wasn't unpleasant, but it felt hollow. I assumed that I had made a mistake and I decided not to repeat the experiment. I felt deeply uncomfortable."

Shane looked pensive for some moments. "I think I see your point," she mumbled, slowly. "It happens to humans too, you know? There are some of us who don't enjoy intimate contact with strangers or people they aren't interested in. You didn't get anything wrong. You haven't felt anything because you don't like her. That's it."

"I understand…" The angel let his voice trail off for a moment. "So had it been someone else, would have been different?"

"Maybe. If you like the person." Shane played a little with the needle. She was trying to explain love to an angel. It surely ranked among the craziest things she had done in her life. "Is there someone you like?"

Castiel kept quiet for a moment, lost in his thoughts. "I like Dean. He is my best friend. Or at least he was before," he answered in the end. "However I believe that the one you are talking about is a different kind of like."

The young woman smirked. "You believe, uh?" She repeated in a slightly malicious tone. "Why don't you try to kiss him when you go back to your friends?"

He frowned at her. "It would be highly improper, Shane," he disagreed, shaking his head. "And Dean is interest in women. My vessel is a male. He wouldn't enjoy it."

"That's because he's an idiot" she mumbled rolling her eyes. Lately that seemed to have become her favourite sentence. "Well, you can always give it a try. I'm sure he won't hate you for that. Come on! If it doesn't work, no tragedy. It's just a kiss. At times friends kiss each other, it's not so unconventional! I kissed Rich too a couple of times, and he is my cousin." They had been drunk back then, but her companion didn't need to know it.

Castiel titled his head, reflecting on her words. She was not completely wrong. If Dean forgave him for betraying him, he would surely close his eyes on a mere display of affection, no matter how unconventional it could be. "I still think that it is an awful idea, but I want to trust you, Shane. I owe it to you."

"That's my angel!" The woman cheered, finally starting to stitch the knife wound in his back. "I promise that no harm would come to you. And if he freaks out, call me and I'll kick his ass."

"I think Gabriel would take care of that without the need of your intervention," the angel said, absent-mindedly. He had never really thought about the nature of his relationship with Dean. They shared a deep connection, that was evident, but he had never stopped to analyse it. He knew that he had given up everything for him and that he would do it again, without hesitation. That had always been enough for him. "Human emotions are so complex and inconvenient."

"And angels are so fucking weird," Shane talked back with a snort. "Now keep still, I'm trying to patch you up here."

"Sorry." Castiel turned towards the wall once again. "Shane?"

"What now?"

"Thank you."

Her expression softened. "You are welcome, Cas."

** ж**

Charlie fidgeted in the chair where Roman's secretary had told her to wait. She had had so much fear of being late that she had arrived almost twenty minutes earlier and now she was considering biting her nails, something she hadn't done in months, to pass the time and especially to calm herself a bit. She had to admit that she wasn't as nervous as she had been standing in front of the summoning sigil, reciting a spell to have a face to face meeting with a creature that wanted her dead, but the feeling was pretty much close to that in the scale.

She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. If she was so agitated just at the thought of meeting a Leviathan, she didn't really want to imagine how she would feel once in front of him. And she would have to shake his hand. The prospect made her shiver. Crowley could say whatever he wanted about the fact that they expected her to be nervous, she was sure that her almost panicked state would most likely give her away. Or make her look like a freak, which, in this case, was definitely better. She couldn't help a small grin remembering the conversation they had had the day before. That demon was a huge asshole, but he had been almost _nice_, in his bitch-like way. She could see them becoming a couple of fucked-up friends, a thought that was light years behind what she had expected from their relationship the day she had met the Devil.

"Miss Bradbury?" The secretary's voice called in that moment, making her start. "Mr Roman will see you now."

She jumped on her feet, her bag falling off her legs and hitting the floor. She cursed under her breath and bent down to pick it up. "Yes, thank you," she nodded, her voice a bit too piercing than her usual. "I…I'm coming!"

The older woman smiled her indulgently and led her along the small corridor to the office. Once there she knocked and announced Charlie, leaving her standing in front of the polished wooden door without a clue of what she was supposed to do. The IT employee took another deep breath and pushed it opened, clearing her throat to announce her presence. "May I come in?" She asked, trying to keep her voice from faltering.

"Of course, Miss Bradbury," a warm voice answered from inside the room. "I was just about to take a coffee. I've ordered one for you too. I hope you don't mind."

Charlene stepped in, slowly closing the door behind her. Roman was seated at his desk, one of his hands resting on the keyboard of his laptop, while the other was holding the pen he had been using to sing what looked like reports. He was wearing a fine light gray suite and a dark red tie that made the colour of his eyes stand out. Those dark irises, which shone with brilliance and intelligence in a way that was almost disquieting, were fixed on her and he was offering a sharply charming smile. There were two steamy cups on the desk right before him.

"Uh, sure," the young woman stuttered, sitting down in one of the chairs set in front of the desk and taking the mug she was offered. "Thank you, Mr Roman."

"Dick, please, Charlie" he corrected her, his smile widening slightly. "You don't mind if I call you Charlie, do you?"

For a brief second she wondered if the man was flirting with her, but she immediately remembered that the guy in front of her, under his pleasant manners and gallantry, was no human at all. She forced herself to smile back, shifting on her seat. "Yeah, of course. I mean, you can, it's fine," she managed to say, looking down at her lap.

"Good. Now, down to business," the Leviathan stated, folding his hands in front of him. "I'd like to exchange more pleasantries with the smart person you are, but I have a meeting that I need to prepare." His expression became more serious, but it didn't lose its weird welcoming warmth. "So, Charlie. I've called you because I've been watching you for a while. The rare spark you possess couldn't go unnoticed, it's that thing that makes humans so special, even if not everyone has the privilege to possess it. Those who don't are replaceable, but the few lucky ones, people like _you_, can't be copied."

Charlie couldn't help making a face at those words, not exactly getting what the man was implying. Maybe Leviathans didn't possess a vessel as demons and angels did, the simply took the form of the person. But if that was true, where was the human Dick Roman now? Most likely dead, a voice in her head whispered, and she shivered slightly. She tried to hide her confusion by sipping her coffee. "Thank you for…the compliment?"

"It is a compliment indeed," Dick answered with a small nod. "You see, Charlie, I'm getting closer and closer to my dream. I have worked hard for what could be an eternity to fulfil it and I can't let anything jeopardise it. That's why I need your help. I'll soon get my hands on some material from a man called Frank Devereaux." He joined his fingertips. "He is threatening my company, thinking he can bring it down, but I will prove him wrong. He is a maniac of technology and informatics, so I will need someone as brilliant, if not even more, to decrypt it. And you are the right person for this job."

"Uh, yeah, I think I can do it," she answered, a bit puzzled. That wasn't exactly what she had expected to be asked, even if she couldn't have guessed considering what her speciality was.

Roman seemed satisfied by her answer. "Good. You'll receive the hard disk in a couple of days. Susan, my assistant, will deliver it to your desk. After that, you'll have three days of time. If you don't make it, you are fired."

Charlene almost choked in her coffee hearing the last sentence. The bastard hadn't changed his tone slightly and was still smiling at her. Creepy, that was the right word to describe him. She cleared her throat nervously. "I'll make it in time. This is my field after all."

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear." The man stood up and offered her his hand. "I'll see you once you are done, Charlie. Good talk."

She got up quickly, almost knocking out her empty cup, and shook it. "Yeah, sure. See you then," she moved back towards the door, without turning her shoulder to him. "Have a nice day…Dick. And good luck for your meeting. And, uh, thank you."

Dick smiled again and this time she had the impression that his teeth were a bit too sharp than they should. "You are welcome."

The young woman nodded quickly and she literally fled from the office. When she passed the secretary, Susan, she grinned at her and she couldn't help noticing how similar to Roman's her expression was. Could she be a Leviathan too? It would make sense. She was the great boss's personal assistant. She waved at the woman, trying not to look at her in a weird way and walked quickly along the corridor, stopping only when she was alone in the elevator. Just then she remembered to breath.

She leaned against the glass wall. The tension had almost killed her, she could still hear her heart beating hard. She really needed to start asking some kind of salary for all that. At least she was alive and still safe. She pulled out her cell phone to let Crowley know that for now his business was not in danger. She knew that the demon was coming over in the evening, but right now she needed to do something to distract herself from the unpleasant feeling that had sunk inside her. She hadn't liked meeting Roman. He looked at you as if he could read your mind and that was very, very bad. She made a mental notice to ask her partner about the Leviathans' powers, assuming that he knew something on the subject. Crowley had seemed pretty clueless himself on them, and it wasn't reassuring.

She left the elevator and headed out of the building. The sensation of the sun on her skin made her feel a little better. Once at home she would have watched some episodes of her favourite series and would have hacked some too full back accounts to donate the money to a no-profit animal-rights association. That would surely cure her mood and especially make her forget about monsters and anything related for a while.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

Sam ran a hand on his face. He had known since the beginning that allowing Dean to carry on his payback on Gabriel wasn't a good idea, but he hadn't really understood how awful it was until he had heard his brother's plan. What he was proposing was simply absurd. And, of course, he was the one who had the worst and most embarrassing part in it.

"Dean…This is crazy," were the only words that he managed to say once the other was finished with his explanation. "And I'm not doing _that_!"

"Oh, come on, Sammy! As if it was the first time. And you just need to pretend!" The elder pointed out, opening his arms. He didn't really see where Sam's problem was. He wasn't asking him to do anything he hadn't done before with Gabriel. He just needed to look a bit more _willing_ this time. "It's just an act, you don't actually have to do anything."

"I know that it's just an act, but I'm still not _seducing _a drugged archangel!" The younger Winchester protested, trying to keep his voice low. The last thing he needed was that the said archangel heard them. _That_ would have been even worse because the former Trickster would have been able to play along just to turn their plan against them in the end. "And, how are you planning to get him wasted or whatever? You know that it took Cas a whole liquor store to get drunk! And he was falling back then. With Gabriel we'll need much more than that!"

Dean shook his head and offered him a knowing smirk. "You aren't the only one who can do his homework, Sammy," he said, in a satisfied tone that made the other even more irritated. However, he ignored the fact that his sibling was trying to murder him with his eyes and went on with his explanation. "You know, apparently Balthazar's crap can turn out useful, and luckily a few times I actually listened to what he was saying." He rummaged in his pockets and pulled out a small jar from one of them. "I went through Bobby's storage last night and after some hard work I found the answer to our dilemma!"

"And since when we trust Balthazar's suggestions?" Sam asked, eyeing the pot suspiciously. His bad feeling was getting worse. "What's that?"

"Trust me, he wasn't lying or playing me. He was actually trying to persuade me to use this little thing on Cas." The older hunter smiled a bit at the memory, his eyes becoming distant for a moment. Then he blinked and turned his attention on his sibling again. That wasn't the moment to become nostalgic. "It's myrrh." He explained sounding proud of himself. "And for angels it has the same effect of an acid. Or something like that. The bastard will rant and rave for a while and then he'll black out. No permanent damages, I swear."

The younger Winchester kept looking at Dean sceptically for some moments, not persuaded. It still sounded like a bad idea to him, but from the glimpse in his sibling's eyes he understood that he wouldn't have been able to make him see reason. The other was already ready to put his crazy plan into motion, with or without him. He was almost tempted to ask him why Balthazar had wanted him to use the myrrh on Castiel, both to distract him from his folly and because he was sincerely curious, but in the end he decided against then. He had to play along, there was no other way out.

He nodded with a sigh. "Alright. Let's say that I agree to this folly. Just supposing," he gave in cautiously, crossing his arms. "How do I get him to drink myrrh? He surely knows what it does. And, knowing him, he'll have tried it already."

"Well, that's up to you, Sammy. You're the one he has a soft spot on! I've got my own part." Dean rolled his eyes. He couldn't think of everything, could he? If his brother was playing on his team he had to use his smart brain for something that wasn't his usual nerdy stuff for once. "Don't forget that I've agreed to suffer his prank for real, because just pretending could ruin our plan. And I'm sure I won't enjoy myself!"

"That's true. I guess we're _almost_ even," Sam conceded, lifting his arms in surrender, but he had to bit back a small grin at the thought of what could be waiting for the older hunter. "Alright. I'm doing it. But promise me that this is the first and the last time we play a prank on a trickster, fake or not. I'm serious, Dean."

The older Winchester brought a hand to his heart. "I swear," he proclaimed in a solemn tone, but the mockery in his voice was evident. "And I'll let you be for a while if you play your part well. No more extra teasing or pranks. For at least a week."

"I don't know why, but I don't believe you," Sam mumbled unhappily, shaking his head. He should learn to stay out of troubles, at least when they didn't unavoidably fall on him without notice. "Fine, let's do this. The last time I saw him Gabriel was in the kitchen. Bobby's out, so we should be able to act undisturbed." He had the feeling that their surrogate father wouldn't have appreciated what they were planning to do and he wasn't in the mood to hear from him how bad that idea was. "Now, shoo."

"Fine." Dean patted his brother's shoulder. "Go, Sammy! And try to be…_persuasive_." He offered him a small, malicious smirk. "You know what I mean."

The younger Winchester shot him a murderous glare before rolling his eyes and heading out of the bedroom, quickly jogging down the stairs. His brother was having too much fun for his likings. He really hoped that Gabriel would find some really nasty, non-lethal trick to play on him. After all, that was the only part of Dean's plan that he actually liked. Pretending to be very annoyed with his sibling, which wasn't difficult since he really was in part, and seeking the archangel's advice to invent "the ultimate prank", as the other hunter had called it, to put an end to their brotherly war. And he had to admit that he couldn't wait to hear what the former Trickster would suggest. He had always found something intriguing in the creature's twisted sense of humour, when wasn't directed against it, even if he wasn't going to admit it out aloud.

When he stepped into the kitchen, he found Gabriel seated at the table. The archangel had his shoulders to the door and seemed lost in his thoughts, so he had yet to notice him standing in the threshold yet. Sam took a deep breath and decided that, for once, following Dean's suggestion was a good idea. Swallowing his pride, he covered the distance between him and the chair in few long strides and stopped right behind it. Then he rested both his hands on the edge of the seatback and leant a bit forward.

Gabriel snapped immediately out of his trance and lifted his head to look up at him, his nape resting between his shoulders. "Heya, Sammy boy," he greeted, looking a bit puzzled. He had a cup filled of something hot and sweetly spicy in front of him. The smell of the drink had spread all around the room, lingering softly in the air. "What are you doing?"

The hunter looked back for a moment, his hazel eyes fixing in the other's golden orbs, before starting to talk. "Yesterday Dean put a disgusting hot sauce in all my meals and drinks. And on my favourite shirt. And in the soap bottle I used to wash the said shirt. And I found it in my shampoo too this morning," he stated in a slightly irritated tone, a deep frown on his face. It wasn't so difficult for him to look upset. He was still pissed off about the shirt thing. "I need to get back at him with something that will persuade him to stop his stupid pranks once and for all. And no one can help me better than you, _Loki_."

The archangel stared right back for a while, considering his words, and then a huge smirk opened on his face as his eyes sparkled slightly. "Oh, that's music to my ears!" He commented, delighted, his arms sneaking around Sam's. "I usually never do anything for free, but for you I could do an exception. And, besides, I think that the pleasure to see Deano squirm and freak out will be a great reward." He let out a low chuckle. He still had to get back at Dean for the way in which he had been treating him and Castiel since his return after all. "My magic tricks are all yours! Do you already have something in mind?"

Sam freed himself from the other's grip and sat down next to him. "Actually no," he answered slowly. He hadn't had the time to think about that detail, he had been too busy discussing the main point of their plan with his brother. "I thought that we could have done something to his car, but I've already played that card. Other things he really enjoys are pie, that's almost as sacred as the Impala to him, and the pretty girls he picks up at the bars. Even if it's been a while since the last time he has hooked up with someone."

Gabriel hummed quietly, a focused expression on his face. "That's a good start," he commented, talking more to himself than to Sam. It had been a while since the last time he had played an elaborated trick on someone and, honestly, he missed it. "We can actually manage something nasty involving the two things," he said then, nodding to himself, looking awful cheerful. He tapped his own forehead lightly. "We just need a bit of brainstorming."

"Hey, obviously I don't want anything harmful or deadly," the younger Winchester pointed out with force, not liking the former Trickster's expression. He remembered too well what the other used to do back in Ohio and he didn't want Dean to experience any of it, no matter how crossed he could be at his older sibling. "It's my _brother_ we're talking about. Don't forget it."

"No worries, gigantor. I'll never harm your precious Dean! I don't want you to be cross at me too!" The archangel scoffed, but he offered him a disquieting grin. "Also because Cassie would never forgive me if I did. And he's a big pain in the ass when he's angry, trust me. Not to mention that I'm trying to play the good big brother. I'll just help you to exasperate our boy to his limits." He leant forward without a warning, his fingers suddenly gripping at the human's tights. "Isn't it what you want, Sammy?"

For a moment Sam caught a weird glimpse in the creature's eyes and he had the feeling that they were no longer talking about the same subject. He forced himself to press a hand on his speaker's shoulder and to push him away slightly. The part of the plan where he would have to play along with the other's advances hadn't come yet, but still he found himself slightly reluctant to push Gabriel away now that they were alone. He had never had problems to do it in front of Dean and Charlie, but now that there was no one else he felt almost tempted not to do it. The archangel touch was nice and warm, and he couldn't help admitting that he enjoyed it in spite of everything.

"Yeah, that's the point," he answered quickly, trying to swallow his uneasiness. "He always thinks he's the best at this, and I want to prove him wrong."

Gabriel seemed a bit disappointed about being moved away, but his grin returned almost immediately. "Do I have free rein on this?" He asked hopefully, giving the hunter an innocent look that didn't suit him at all.

Sam studied the former Trickster's face for a moment, carefully considering the consequences of his next words before answering. He knew that the archangel could come out with any possible idea and he was almost afraid to give him the permission to indulge in his whims. However, on the other side, he didn't even know what kind of restrictions he could put. "You do, _but _you tell me everything about what you want to do. And I have full veto power on your plans. No complaints or tricks. Deal?"

"Ah, you always find a way to spoil my fun!" The shorter man whined with a scoff. But then he nodded, even if he looked a bit less excited than before. "Deal, kiddo. But try to be open-minded and not to waste my talent."

"I promise," Sam agreed with the shadow of a smile. Then he eyed the steamy mug curiously. "What are you drinking?"

"Sarraba. It's a traditional drink from Indonesia," Gabriel answered, pushing the cup towards him. "Wanna try? It's good, I promise."

He nodded and took it, slowly bringing it to his lips. The heavy taste of ginger and peppercorn immediately invaded his mouth, but the spicy flavour was sweetened by some other ingredients he couldn't identify, leaving on his tongue a pleasant feeling. Coconut milk maybe. Or something as sweet. "This is really good." He commented, instinctively running his tongue over his lips. He smiled jokingly at the archangel. "You always treat yourself well, don't you?"

Gabriel winked at him. "Gotta do something with these amazing powers of mine when I'm not saving the world, don't I?" He joked, grinning back and taking a hold of his cup once again. He waved his hand and another cup appeared in front of the hunter. "Here. It's better to discuss business with a drink." He took a long sip. "So, Samsquatch. I think I've already got something interesting for you…"

Sam rested his palms against his cup, letting its heat spread on his skin. It was nice, as much as the smell, and oddly the sound of Gabriel's voice fitted perfectly in the warm and relaxed atmosphere. He blinked a couple of time, surprised by that thought, and forced himself to focus on what the archangel was saying instead. Sometimes his own mind embarrassed him almost more than his brother's comments about man-crushes. And the worst thing was that he was starting to realise how awfully right they both were.

Dean tried hard to hide his nervousness by busying himself with his third beer. Sam had spent almost all the morning locked with the archangel in the kitchen, talking about only-God-knew-what. He could have sworn that he had heard them laughing more than once and he had the horrible feeling that, whatever it was about, he wouldn't like it. The worst thing was that his little brother had refused to give him the slightest hint of what kind of prank Gabriel and he had elaborated, stating that they had agreed that he would have to suffer it fully. When he had pointed out that, in his opinion, Sam seemed to be enjoying the shorter man's company that morning, his sibling had told him to fuck off and he had gone back to his researches, stubbornly ignoring him. After a while, he had given up insisting, but he had taken a mental note of his brother's embarrassment at his comment.

And what how he had ended up in a pub, seated across the weirdly calm and relaxed duo and without the slightest idea of what was about to happen to him. Sam was happily chatting about something he hadn't cared to grasp and Gabriel was listening to him intently, his chin rested on the palm of his hand. He couldn't help raising an eyebrow seeing how easily the two interacted and couldn't help wondering where Sam's acting ended and his real affection began. But that wasn't the time or the place to lose himself in that kind of thoughts. He needed to get away from them as soon as possible. He wasn't ready to face one of the Trickster's infamous pranks, no matter what he had promised Sam.

He carefully looked around him, hoping to find a nice pretext to leave the table for a while, and his gaze fell on a pretty brunette who seemed to be exactly his type. She was seating alone at the counter, slowly sipping her drink, her free hand distractedly going up and down the length of her dress-covered leg. She was exactly what he had been looked for.

He grinned satisfied and finished his beer in one gulp. "I'm going to get something else to drink," he announced in a nonchalant tone. "You guys want something?"

"We're fine. Thanks, Dean," Sam answered, shaking his head in his direction, before turning his full attention back on Gabriel. He pretended to go on talking just until he was sure that his brother was out of earshot. "Oh, he swallowed the bait," he grinned then, as he saw the elder exchanging some words with the brunette. "I was starting to think that he'd never notice her."

"I'd have her make the first move," Gabriel said with a shrug. He took another sip of his anise liquor and smirked. "Now we just have to wait until he finishes all his charming thing and tries to have his way with her. And…Surprise, surprise, Deano!"

"You're too evil to be an archangel," Sam claimed solemnly, glaring at him, but he was doing his best not to laugh. He glanced back at his sibling and at the brunette one more time. "I almost feel sorry for Dean. _Almost_."

"Come on, Luci is far worse than me, you know that. And Mikey is too, in his own _boring_ way," the former Trickster pointed out, his tone darkening slightly. "Not to mention Raphael. The truth is that you're too used to Cas, Sammy. He isn't the typical angel, you shouldn't use him as a term of comparison."

Sam noticed his change of mood and his expression softened a bit. He was aware of how much the other hated talking about the wars that had torn his family apart. "You aren't typical either," he pointed out then, resting a hand on his speaker's forearm. "So it's not totally wrong comparing you to Castiel. Even if you two are weird in two different ways."

Gabriel studied him for a moment, a curious expression on his face. "I'll take it as a compliment, kiddo." He stated in the end, a new grin opening in his lips.

It was the human's turn to shrug. "It is, in a way," he answered, adverting his eyes. His gaze wondered back in his brother's direction and that gave him a pretext to change the subject. "Look, it seems that Dean and your "girl" are getting along."

"Well, can you blame them?" The shorter man turned as well to watch the two interacting. The older Winchester was flashing one of his most charming grins and the girl seemed unable to tear her eyes away from him. "She's _really _pretty. For Dad's sake, I made her hot enough to set this place on fire! And your brother knows what he's doing and what he has. Everyone here must have looked at him at least once since we've entered."

The younger hunter raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that you find my brother _attractive _or am I misreading your words?" he asked, a bit taken aback. He had hardly hear the creature sincerely complimenting someone and he surely wasn't expecting to hear him making a positive comment in Dean's direction.

"I like the good life, kiddo, and it involves both pretty girls and hot guys. And your brother belongs to the second category, even if he's such a pain in the ass. Objectively speaking, he is pretty damn good-looking. Even you can't deny it," Gabriel answered nonchalantly. It was the truth after all. "The fact that I prefer another kind of hot guys is a detail." He shot his speaker a meaningful look, letting his eyes travel the length of the other's body, and a new smirk blossom on his face. "Don't you agree, Sam?"

"I'm not sure I want to have this kind of conversation with you, especially if it involves my _brother_," Sam said firmly, looking away, as the archangel's staring brought a pang of uneasiness in his guts. He didn't even bother to answer the question, since they both knew that he agreed. Besides, he was also sure that admitting it aloud would mean allowing the archangel to bring his flirtation to an even more shameful level and he didn't want to have to deal with it. Instead, he turned the conversation back to their targets. "They are moving."

The shorter man snorted, letting him know that he had rather keep on discussing their previous subject, but didn't comment and followed his gaze. The girl had got up after whispering something in Dean's hear and was now pulling him towards a half hidden door behind the counter. The older Winchester seemed to hesitate for a moment, but in the end he shrugged and eagerly followed her, them both disappearing in the next room.

"I give him…five minutes," the archangel claimed, going back to his glass. "Have you spoken with our waitress?"

"Yeah, when I said I needed to use the restroom," Sam nodded, his lips threatening to break into a huge amused grin at the thought of what was about to happen in the other room. "She was quite happy to help us. Apparently she has a soft spot on small pranks."

The former Trickster met his eyes, pure mirth making them shining more than they usually did. "Good. Now, all we have to do is waiting," he spoke in a softer tone than one would have expected. "I wanna do this again with you, Sammy. I've never had a partner in my games, but now I see what I missed. It's more fun when you can share them with someone."

The younger hunter had to nod in agreement. "Your Trickster's stuff isn't exactly my favourite pastime, but I have to admit that it's fun, from time to time," he answered quietly, his eyes lost in those golden irises. He had noticed it before, but he couldn't help thinking once again that they were simply gorgeous. He was most likely looking like an idiot in that moment, but he really couldn't tear his gaze away. He was starting to understand why Dean and Castiel stared at each other for such a long time. Looking away from an angel's eyes was almost impossible. He forced himself to keep on speaking. "That's why I play back when Dean starts his prank wars. So I guess I could work with you again sometimes, in the future."

"I'm looking forward to it," the archangel claimed and raised his glass playfully towards him. That evening was turning out even better than he had expected. He and Sam were actually bonding like friends did, and that was something he hadn't anticipated at all when he had stepped in to prevent Castiel from swallowing Purgatory. He had to admit that he was starting to like that development. "Shall we toast?"

"Why not?" The hunter answered readily, clinking his own glass with the other's and watched Gabriel drink it all in a go while he took just a small sip of his beer, hiding a smile. "To a successful job?"

The creature nodded. "Damn right. You can say it aloud, kiddo."

Sam put down his drink and glanced at the door near the counter just in time to see it opening in. Dean literally ran out of it, quickly heading towards their table. He was wearing an expression that was half shocked and half furious and looked ready to explode. However, instead of start yelling as soon as he had reached them, he let himself fall in his seat, his face in his hands, and remained silent for a while, trying to digest what had actually happened to him.

"I hate you. _Both _of you," he claimed after some moments of silence. "You've just scarred me for the rest of my life! How could you…" He let out a frustrated groan, having a hard time to find his words, and then removed his fingers from his face. "You fucking Trickster, you are so _dead_! And Sam! For fuck's sake! You asked _him _help? I can't believe it! It's not fair! Such a beautiful girl…So hot…But she _wasn't_ a fucking girl!"

Gabriel burst into laughter at that, loud enough to make all the other costumers turned to look at them, while Sam allowed himself a huge grin before elbowing the archangel in the ribs to make him lower the volume of his voice. He didn't want the owner to kick them out, not before having had the chance to ruin his brother's night completely at least.

"You ruined my _favourite _shirt, Dean. I told you that I would get back at you for that! You asked for it," the younger Winchester talked back then, firmly, but he had to put all his self-control not to laugh in turn. "I told you more than once to stay away from my things. You didn't. Your bad."

"Ah, fuck you!" Dean growled out again, running a hand on his eyes. "I can't stop thinking about…Ah! I need a drink. And something sweet." He looked away from them and raised his arm to call the waitress. "Excuse me, can I have a slice of pie, please?"

She stopped right next to him and offered an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but we've no pie left. I could have sworn that there was a lot when my shift started, but apparently they must have finished it," she explained in a sympathetic tone. "But we've plenty of cake if you want. It's homemade, as they pie was."

The older hunter let out an exasperated sigh and glared murderously at Gabriel, who was smirking even more openly. "Cake? No, no, thanks."

He waited for the woman to leave and then got up. He wasn't going to make a scene in front of everyone, even if his two companions deserved it. He knew that it was all for the plan's sake, but his sibling had really exaggerated. He would get back at him for it, that was sure. "Alright, you won, Sammy. I'm fed up with this. No more pranks for a while. Happy?" He claimed in a gloomy tone. "I really need a ride or I'll end up shooting someone in the face. Tell your angelic boyfriend to zap you home, because I'm not coming back to pick you up." And without waiting for an answer he stormed out from the bar.

The archangel followed him with his eyes until he disappeared outside. "Whoa. Hasn't he overacted? You know, a bit?" He commented, raising an eyebrow. "It's just a dessert, come on! And what was wrong with cake? It's good too."

"I think he's still feeling horrified about the "girl". And, trust me, for him pie is not just a dessert," Sam answered with a sigh, after having left a generous tip to the waitress for her help. "Have you ever seen him eating pie? It's like he's having _sex_ with it."

"Ew. That's sick. And if I say it, it means that it's true!" The shorter man said, making a face. "I mean. I love sweets, I love sex, I love sweets _and _sex, but having sex _with_ sweets…That's something else. My kinks don't reach those depths."

"I agree. Why don't we go back at Bobby's now?" The hunter quickly proposed, before the other could make more detailed comments about the subject. He had to save all his patience for his own part of the plan. "Dean will be out for a while, so…" He let his voice trail off a bit, not wanting to spoil the "surprise" he had at home for the creature.

Gabriel raised both his eyebrows this time. "Are you offering to service me, Sammy?" He asked with a malicious smirk, leaning forwards. His palms found the hunter's legs once again. "You know that I can't say no to something like that, especially if it comes from you…"

The younger Winchester grabbed the archangel's hands before they went could go far up his tights. "_Gabriel_!" He exclaimed, feeling his face heating up a bit with both irritation and embarrassment. He had expected that the former Trickster would have interpret his words in the wrong way, that was the main point of his acting after all, but he had hoped that the other would have at least behaved a little since they weren't alone. How naive from his part. "Will you stop molesting me? At least in public!" He sighed, pressing his fingers to his temple. "I wasn't offering myself or anything. Just…I made something for you, to thank you for your help."

Hearing that, the archangel stopped trying to reach for hunter's crotch. "Really? Oh, that's really nice from you, Sammich!" He exclaimed delighted, clapping his hands. He loved embarrassing the human, but the prospect of receiving a present from him was even more interesting. He hadn't expected the hunter to offer him some kind of reward besides his gratitude. "What is it?"

Sam lifted his eyes and sighed again. The former Trickster looked excited as a child on Christmas Day. And he surely didn't want to know what he was picturing to get in his mind. "Take me back at Bobby's and you'll see," he almost commanded, exasperated by the other's behaviour. Gabriel was millennia old, but he was also the most perversely childish person he had ever met.

The archangel's smirk widened. "Your wish is my command, Sammy!" He claimed in a teasing tone and, before the hunter could do or say anything, he snapped his fingers materialising the two of them sat at Bobby's kitchen table.

Sam had to blink a couple of times, before his mind could register the sudden change of scenery. "What the heck, Gabriel?!" He exclaimed then, astonished. It was clear that they would have been forced to fly back at the savage since Dean had taken the Impala, but he had planned to actually walk out of the pub before doing it. "What if someone has seen us?"

"Oh, come on. No one was watching! And I've been doing this for millennia!" The archangel protested, rolling his eyes. He gestured at himself. "Give me some credit, kiddo. Trickster, remember?" Then his annoyance quickly disappeared, replaced once again by a restless excitement. "Now, let's deal with the important things. Where's my surprise? Come on, Sammich! Don't make me beg!"

The younger Winchester sighed once again, but didn't comment any further. It was be a useless waste of time. Instead he got up and reached for one of the cupboard, pulling a plate out of it. On the dish was set the most delicious-looking pie that he and Dean had managed to make that afternoon, while the archangel was out doing only-God-knew-what. None of them had ever been good at baking, but they had tried their best and in the end they had succeeded, also thanks to Bobby's reluctant help, in making a good raspberry and myrrh flavoured dessert. He hid a smirk at the memory. Dean had stared at the pie with hungry eyes for five good minutes, putting all his self-control not to take a bite, and he had had to bodily move his brother away from the sweet to be able to put it away.

Putting on a straight face once again, he went back to the table and set the plate right in front of Gabriel, offering him an innocent huge grin. "I thought it could be appropriated for us to celebrate with pie since Dean hasn't got his own piece," he explained, carefully studying the other's expression. The archangel's eyes were fixed on the sweet and were sparkling, even if his face didn't betray any particular emotion. "I made it myself, so…Well, it isn't surely as good as the ones you're used to. Or as the ones you bake. But I hope you'll enjoy it anyway."

"You never cease to amaze me, Sam Winchester," the shorter man claimed in approval, as he watched the hunter cutting a small slice for himself and then leaving the rest of the sweet in front of him. He grabbed a fork out of nowhere. "Let's see what you've managed here."

Sam almost held his breath as the former Trickster picked up a small piece of pie and slowly lifted it to his mouth. If Gabriel recognised the taste of myrrh it would have been game over for Dean and him. He couldn't help thinking that maybe he should have add more cinnamon or some other strong flavour, just to be sure that the substance could not be detected. He had no idea of how myrrh tasted, let along to an angel. However, now it was too late for those thoughts, so he simply instinctively leant a bit forwards in expectation as the other's lips closed around the fork.

The archangel chewed slowly for a few seconds. "It tastes weird," he stated in the end frowning slightly, and the hunter's heart sank. But then he took another piece and ate it, a small grin forming on his lips. "But it's a good kind of weird," he went on with in an approving tone, grabbing the third forkful. "Gotta give me the recipe later, Sammy."

Relief washed over the younger Winchester and he started playing absent-mindedly with his own slice, his eyes focused on the shorter man, who was literally devouring the rest of the sweet. Luckily, everything was going as planned and now he just had to wait until the myrrh took effect. He relaxed a bit and let a small satisfied smile blossoming on his lips. He had to admit that his brother had been right. He was enjoying their little payback on Gabriel. The former Trickster deserved some humiliation after all the embarrassing situations and the molesting he had put him through since he had joined them.

Once the plate was empty, the archangel let himself fall against the backseat, feeling oddly pleased and sated. That pie had got more and more awesome at each bite and he had thought that he could have gone on eating it forever. His mind was started to get numb, but he was feeling far too good to notice in that moment. He was too focused on how relaxed and satisfied he felt to pay attention to anything else.

When he felt something poking at his lips, he instinctively opened his mouth just to have a fork pushing another piece of the sweet on his tongue. He opened his eyes, distractively registering that he didn't remember closing them, and saw that Sam was feeding him his own slice. His mouth watered and he straightened his position, meeting the next forkful half way, not even caring to wonder why the other hadn't eaten his piece since the sweet had turned out to be so delicious. The hunter smiled widely at him, looking a bit too satisfied than he should have, but, before the creature could make a comment about it, the intense flavour put his mind on fire again and all he could do was moaning around the metal.

The younger Winchester kept on feeding the archangel until there was no more pie left. He couldn't help his amusement as he watched how willing and desperate the other was for the ever next forceful and he had to bite back a chuckle at the groan that Gabriel let out when he showed him his empty plate. Considering how powerful the former Trickster was, having him almost completely under his control was a strangely satisfying feeling. He couldn't help thinking that he could get used to that. And he was surely going to tease the creature about it later.

However, Sam's contentment faltered as soon as the other climbed on his lap without warning, his tights straddling the human's hips and his arms going to hang around his shoulders, successfully trapping him against the seat back of the chair.

"Sam-_my_!" Gabriel sang playfully, before starting to giggle like a madman without a real reason. His eyes sparkled with a soft, amused golden light and the grin he offered to the hunter was even wider than his usual ones, which usually meant troubles. "I feel like…"

His voice trailed off and one moment later, instead of finishing the sentence, he quickly had moved forward and had kissed the younger Winchester, straight and hard on the lips, exploiting the human's surprised gasp to make his tongue slip in his hot mouth. The archangel couldn't help moaning deeply at the contact, realising how much he had missed the feeling. The other's body was warm and firm against his own and could taste the lingering bitter flavour of the beer that the hunter had drunk at the pub, together with something else that was just and plainly _Sam_. He titled his head to be able to deepen the kiss even more, wanting nothing but devouring everything that the other could offer him. Something was awfully wrong with him, he was aware of it in the back of his mind, but once again he was too busy, this time tasting his favourite human, to care.

Sam was completely taken about by the sudden assault, even if he should have expected it. He didn't have the time to react when the former Trickster hungrily attacked his mouth, forcing him in a deep, passionate kiss. His eyes widened in surprise and he tried to struggle a little when the other shoved his tongue past his lips, but in the end he gave up resisting the stubborn insistence with which the creature was kissing him. The warmth and the sweet taste of Gabriel's lips made all his resistance crumple and he ended up relaxing against the archangel body, unable to fight his own desires any longer. He let his arms encircling the other's waist and started to kiss him back almost as hungrily. He felt the shorter man smiling against his mouth and then slowing down his pace, making the kiss less rushed and more languid.

When the younger hunter pulled away to catch his breath, he was breathing in light pants and his heart was beating unbearably fast. Gabriel's face was still a few centimetres away from his and he had to make a huge effort to remember that he was there for a reason and not to simply give into the spark of lust he could clearly read in the creature's eyes. He needed to get into the archangel's room before he passed out. So he leant forwards and pressed another quick kiss on his lips, trying to ignore the fact that he had lingered a bit too longer than necessary.

"Why don't we take this upstairs, Gabe?" He forced himself to say with a smile, his hands suggestively playing with the hem of the shorter man's shirt. "Or rather, I'm sure that the five-star room you've created for yourself is much better than Bobby's guest rooms. You could, I don't know, create a door and I could carry you there?"

"Or I could just snap us there," Gabriel pointed out, with a lazy smirk. He nuzzled the hunter's jaw lightly, humming quietly. He sincerely didn't care about how they would reach the room, he just wanted to get there and do to the human all the nasty things that he was picturing in his head. "But I've got the impression that you're feeling kinky, Samsquatch. And I'm in a very good mood. So I think that we can do it your way." He pressed his lips to the hunter's neck and snapped his fingers. "I hope that the old Robert won't mind being one window down."

Sam shivered a little, feeling the archangel's cool breath caressing his skin, and let out a small gasp when the other started to lick and suck random spots under his ear. He was aware that he would have been affected in turn by his act of seducing the shorter man, but he hadn't expected him to be so straightforward or, especially, that his body would react so eagerly. His skin was starting to feel too hot to be comfortable.

He bit his inner cheek and forced himself to stay focused. He needed to get in the archangel's room quickly and he was also started to hope that the creature would pass out soon, because he was afraid that he would end up taking the things a bit further than he had planned if the bastard didn't stop whatever amazing trick he was working on his neck. And he also prayed that Bobby didn't decide to leave his bedroom while they were walking along the corridor because that would have been mortifying. The man knew about their prank, but he and Dean had kept very vague about the details. And he had no intention in explaining him in what the healing ritual had consisted, even if he had the feeling that their surrogate father already knew, even if he had kept quiet on the matter.

He stood up quickly, barely giving Gabriel the time to lace his legs around his waist, and headed towards the stairs, taking two steps at a time and trying not to think about the wet tongue at work on his sensitive skin. Luckily the old hunter didn't come out to make the situation even more embarrassing and the younger Winchester went straight for the new door that had appeared in the place of the window at the end of the corridor. He lowered the handle and crossed the threshold, carefully closing the door behind him.

The room turned out to be a sort of big studio flat, completed with a small kitchen in one corner and the king-sized bed Gabriel had been boasting about in the other. Sam raised an eyebrow at the chintzy interior design of the place, but avoided any comments. He was already too busy to worry about the fact that the archangel's tastes in furniture were a little too much showy. Instead, he sat the creature down in the closer armchair, obtaining to finally freeing his reddening skin from his enthusiastic ministrations.

Gabriel looked up at him and slowly licked his lips. He couldn't wait to have Sam sprawled on his bed, possibly without clothes in the way. He noticed that hunter looked a bit nervous, but his mind was too clouded by pleasant images to allow him to elaborate that thought. Images that he wanted to become real as soon as possible.

He lifted a hand to snap his fingers and get rid of the door in the corridor, but the human, as if reading his intentions, bent down and kissed him senselessly once again right before he could. He immediately got completely absorbed in the feeling of Sam's tongue ravishing his mouth and his raised arm fell boneless on the armrest. Everything felt so good, appealing, _awesome_. He finally had the chance to get to have that damned Winchester all for himself again and he could feel his vessel already craving hard and painfully for more. And yet he felt like he was about to feint, as if his energies were being drowned by the sudden frenzy that had possessed his body. A familia sensation, he realised. Suddenly all the pieces clicked in his confused mind. _Oh_.

"Samuel Winchester," he managed to say, pushing the other away slightly. The words were heavy on his tongue and his sight was getting blurred. "You drugged me and then seduced me so that I would be too busy to notice. You smart ass."

"Took you long enough to notice." Sam smirked widely at him, crouching down between his tights, hands resting near the former Trickster's knees. "Sorry, Gabe. Dean's idea. You really should stop messing with us," he added then quietly, but his satisfaction was evident. "That's what you get for starting a prank war."

Gabriel let out a small laugh. "So it was all planned, uh? Touché, kiddo. I'm impressed. Fucking Winchesters" he admitted, slightly amused. He couldn't bring himself to feel annoyed. The boys had really managed to trick the Trickster. Again. It wasn't something that everyone could do and he always appreciated a well-planned prank. "What did you give me?"

"Myrrh. Blame Dean and Balthazar for that," the hunter answered, the grin never leaving his lips. He knew that he shouldn't boast too much because Gabriel would kick their asses as soon as he sobered up, but he couldn't help the impulse to exploit that moment of weakness. He deserved his payback after all. "Oh, and me for having the idea to put it in a pie."

The archangel snorted. "That asshole manages to mess with me even if he's dead. Great…" He puffed out, rolling his eyes slightly. "And _damned _fucking Winchesters. I won't let you get away so easily with this."

The human laughed in turn at that, then he shot him a knowing glance. "Oh, you should instead," he teased with the same light tone, rubbing his thumb on the fabric of the other's jeans. Because we aren't done yet."

The former Trickster groaned, incredulous. What else were the brothers planning against him? He blinked a couple of times, trying to clear his vision. He was doing his best to stay awake, but the drug was slowly and inexorably shutting down his mind. "Come on, Sammy. Don't talk in riddles when I can't understand them. What's that supposed to mean?"

The younger Winchester shook his head and smirked at him once again. "I'm not telling you. It's a surprise. Now sleep, Gabe."

Gabriel wanted to protest, but the only thing he could do when the human's hot palm caressed his cheek was leaning into the touch and closing his eyes. The last thing he felt before slipping into a complete darkness were the other's lips pressing against his lightly, soft and almost caring. Maybe being on the receiving end of the Winchesters pranks wasn't too bad if he got to kiss the younger brother each time.

Sam stared at the passed out archangel for a moment, before sighing and getting up. Some more minutes and he would have had something to regret. Or at least, something that he should have regretted, but he wasn't really sure that he would really have. He ran a hand in his hair, wondering what he was supposed to do while waiting for his brother to show up. He really hoped that Dean didn't take too much time to get over the "girl" thing. He didn't want to risk having Gabriel waking up sooner than they were expecting. He would find himself in a very particular kind of troubles. The creature hadn't looked too pissed about their prank, quite the contrary, but he knew that he wouldn't allow them to get away with it anyway.

A knock came on the door it that right moment and he immediately went to open it, feeling a pang of relief as he found his sibling standing on the threshold. The elder looked still a bit crossed, but said nothing as he moved past him, carrying a tank of holy oil and a big basket inside. He shot a look at Gabriel and smirked a bit in satisfaction, before turning towards his sibling.

"Good job, Sammy! I told you it would work!" He commented, amused, clasping a hand on the latter's shoulder. Then he frowned a bit looking at his brother attentively. He raised an eyebrow. "Man, is that thing on your neck a _hickey_?"

Sam immediately covered with his palm the spot of skin where the archangel had been sucking happily until a few minutes before. "Seducing Gabriel has consequences," he stated uneasily, looking away. His body was still tingling lightly with the first spark of arousal and. He swallowed a bit and then quickly changed the subject. "Come on, let's get to work. Or would you rather keep discussing until he wakes up and sends us in some damned alternative universe to get his revenge? Because I'd like to stay in the reality."

"Fine, fine. How touchy. I was just asking!" Dean said, raising his hands in surrender, but the mocking in his tone stayed. If Sam thought that he hadn't noticed how flushed he was, then his brother was very wrong. He would tease him about forever. "You take care of the circle." He cracked his fingers with a sly smirk. "I'll do the restyling."

Gabriel came back to consciousness slowly and with a huge headache. He kept his eyes closed to ease the pain pulsing in his temples, while his still numb senses started to register a strange heat all around him, followed by a familiar smell. If it was what he thought, he was screwed. He let out a groan of both pain and annoyance and pushed himself in a seated position, his hands wandering a bit around his body. He was on the plain floor, which meant that someone had got ridden of his thick carpet. He didn't want to imagine what else could have happened to his room. Not that fixing it would have been a problem, but it was still annoying.

Carefully, he opened his eyes, blinking to clear his blurred sight, and he received the confirmation of his fears. He was trapped in a circle of holy fire. He cursed under his breath and rolled his eyes. The brothers had really played him, and this time had been even worse than the previous ones. Getting stabbed with a wooden stick was a thing, but this was on a whole other level. He couldn't believe that Sam had actually agreed to play so _nice _with him just to get back at him. The kid was awful when he wanted to be.

He stirred his numb limbs and looked around to see if the two humans were there to enjoy his reactions, but he stopped his movements half way when he noticed the damage that had been done around him. As he had expected, the holy fire and the missing carpet were hardly the only changes in the room. He couldn't say if there was still an object in its original place. He stared at the disaster with wide eyes. Someone, most likely Dean, had set his bed on fire, or done something very much similar, because it was completely destroyed, and same went for most of the furniture. His whole stack of sweets had disappeared, replaced but what looked like tasteless, low-calorie, cheap food, and his whole collection of porn had been turned into a pile of boring historical books and documentaries. But what made him snap was the lack of one particular thing. If the brothers had messed with that too, he would stick them in a loop of bad commercials for a whole week.

"Where in Heaven is my _dog_?!" He yelled at the opened door, feeling frustrated. The only thing he wanted to do in that moment was kicking the Winchesters' asses hard, but he knew that he wouldn't get out of the circle until they decided to free him. "Hey, kids! No playing with my buddy. Understood?!"

"So you actually care for something after all!" Dean's teasing voice answered him. The elder hunter appeared in the doorstep and leant against the jamb, a big smirk plastered on his face. "Did you enjoy the surprise, Trickster?" He questioned then, crossing his arms. "That's for messing with my Baby, for all the pranks, for what happened yesterday at the bar and for giving my brother a fucking _hickey_!"

"Dean! You could have avoided mentioning that!" Sam exclaimed irritated, appearing next his brother in that moment and glaring hard at him. He had a put a plaster on the mark on his neck and was holding the archangel's dog in his arms. "And you shouldn't tease him too much after what we have done."

"Yeah, Deano, listen to your brother. He's the smart one for reasons," the archangel echoed sarcastically. "Because you both are so going to regret this little prank of yours! I still have to decide if I'm more pissed about having been tricked, having my place ruined or having lost the chance to have my way with Samsquatch here. I'm sure his willingness wasn't part of the act." His eyes fell on the dog, who was panting happily in the younger Winchester's embrace. "And you, bud, are a real _bitch_."

The animal let out a small guilty whine and jumped off from the hunter's arms, while Dean stared at his sibling in disbelief. Sam looked away, not really knowing what to do or to say. He could have denied, but he knew that his face would have betrayed him. He had actually enjoyed the archangel's attentions. He bit back a sigh. He didn't get why he always was the one who had to make the poorest figure. He shot a nasty glare to Gabriel, who answered him with a smirk full of promises he didn't like at all.

"So, what are you planning to do? Keep me here for the whole eternity?" The shorter man asked, getting up and fixing his clothes. "Force me to stare at the mess you have done with my things? Or will you allow me out at some point?"

"You'd deserve it and something much worse _only_ for what you've just said about my brother. If it was my choice I'd never let you out," the older Winchester almost growled, crossing his arms. "But Sammy wouldn't be happy if I did, since he somehow has a soft spot on you too." He ignored the incredulous look that the younger gave him. He needed to get back at his brother too for the whole fake girl affair. "Besides, Bobby received a message from that famous friend of his. We have a lead on the Leviathans."

Gabriel held the older hunter's green eyes, his expression becoming suddenly serious. "Got it. Playtime's over."

Dean nodded, even if he didn't look happy. "Yeah." He turned around, showing his intention to leave. "Free him, Sam. I'm going to pack up our weaponry." And with that he walked out of the room without waiting for an answer.

Sam shook his head and sighed, not even trying to stop his sibling. Instead, he approached the circle of fire to pour water over it. "You alright?" He questioned then, his gaze searching the archangel's face for any signs of discomfort. "Dean said that the myrrh had no permanent side effects, but I don't trust him on it."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Consequences of your prank apart," the former Trickster answered, stepping out of the trap as soon as he was able to. He bent down and picked up his dog, petting its head gently. He couldn't really blame the animal for having looked so comfortable in Sam's arms. He hadn't done much better the night before. He put the pet down and snapped his fingers and the room went back to his original state. "But, as you see, if we don't consider my irritation, it's nothing I can't fix, so I won't go too hard on you boys. Especially since we've got real work to do now."

The hunter nodded as followed him out of the room and the door disappeared behind them. He was a bit relieved to see that the creature wasn't really as annoyed as he had acted in front of Dean. The last thing they needed was a vindictive Trickster on their backs. But Gabriel was acting much more like his angel self since he had been brought back to life, and that pushed him to believe his words. He bit his lip lightly. He shouldn't be so trusting towards the other, but he couldn't help it. Every time he saw a glimpse of care in those golden orbs his mistrust disappeared a bit more. And by now there was very little left.

"I think it's good to finally have a lead on them," he pointed out after a moment, letting go his previous trail of thoughts. There was a hint of concern in his voice. "It's already been more than a week since they broke free. I don't want to think about all the damages they could have already caused." He was quiet for some more seconds, his concern deepening. "I wish that Castiel was with us. If we've been able to find them, there's the chance that he has run into one as well."

The shorter man stopped on the top of the stairs and turned to face the human. "I hope he hasn't. Leviathans can kill angels without much troubles or having to use special weapons. They are above us in the…"food chain", to put it in their own terms," he said quietly with a frown, diverting his eyes. "The best Cas can do in his poor state if he bumps into one of those fuckers is flying away as fast as possible."

Sam remained silent, choosing to rest a hand on the archangel's shoulder instead of speaking. He had noticed that Gabriel reacted better to physical contact when it came to be comforted. He would talk back sarcastically if you tried to offer him words of hope, but he seemed to appreciate a simply gesture of companionship. The archangel, in fact, offered him a warm look and rested his palm on his fingers, gently scratching the back of his hand.

"Oh, by the way," Gabriel added after a while, breaking the comfortable silence that had fell upon them, a malicious grin grazing his lips. "In spite of everything, I had fun last night, especially in the bit between the pie and my blacking out. We should do it again, possibly without the myrrh, don't you agree? I'd even cook dinner for you."

Sam shoved him away, snorting and mumbling a "Fuck off" under his breath, and walked past him, heading downstairs and leaving the creature smirking in amusement. Fucking archangel. Now he would never hear the end of that. And once again it was all Dean's fault. He massaged his temple lightly, trying not to think about the fact that he actually wouldn't mind accepting the archangel's offer. Dinner, making out and sex. It almost sounded like a real date.

He rolled his eyes at the thought. He had better focus on their new task. It was more urgent that whatever was going on between him and Gabriel and, especially, thinking about work was somehow easier. He was already too messed up on his own to let an angel unsettle his poor balance even more. His past, his brother and his recent trip in Hell with Lucifer were really already enough to deal with.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

When Crowley joined Charlene in her apartment, the night had already fallen and the cloudy sky was dark as the depth of Hell. He found the young woman seated on her sofa, a bottle of nice whiskey and two glasses set on the coffee table in front of her. He hid a smile. His new partner-in-crime was a quick learner and he couldn't be happier about it in that moment. He remained in the shadows for a while, studying her in silence. She looked nervous, but not as much as she had been the evening before. The meeting with Roman had to have been less devastating that she was expecting and that was positive. He hadn't answered the text message she had sent him to let him know that her cover-up was safe, half because he was busy and half because he wanted to mess with her, but he had had to admit to himself that he had felt a small pang of pride reading it. Both for himself and for the girl, which was very unusual.

He fixed his jacket and finally stepped into view, going to sit down next to Charlene. "Good evening, my dear," he greeted with one of his charming smirks. "I was glad to hear that your work meeting was good, in spite of your pessimistic expectations."

She turned immediately towards him and offered a small smile, her eyes briefly touching the bottle of liquor. "Yeah. It was really awkward, but not as scaring as I thought it would be," she admitted, nodding. "And God, that Dick's so _weird_. I'm not sure I want to be alone in the same room with him ever again! His smile is _creepy_. And I'm pretty sure he killed the real Roman."

"You haven't seen his real _smile_, if we can call it like that. Hope you never will, because it will be the last thing you'll ever see. Never met a Leviathan myself before, but I've heard pretty awful stories about them. Your real boss has most likely been not only killed but also _eaten_ by the current Dick," Crowley commented, opening the bottle and pouring some amber liquid in both glasses. He raised his own to his face and lightly smelt it. "Good choice, Charlie. You're learning."

"Ew. I didn't need to know that! They eat humans?!" The IT employee exclaimed, horrified. She grabbed her own glass and took a big sip without too many compliments. She had seen something else other than a sparkling brilliance in Roman's eyes that morning, and now she understood what it was. _Hunger_. A metaphorical one for power and supremacy, and a literal one, for human meat apparently. Now she really didn't want to be left alone with him again. "Why didn't you tell me?! I'm not willing to work for a fucking monster, especially if it eats people!"

The King of Hell sighed. "That's why I didn't tell you. I didn't want you to freak out as you're doing," he explained calmly, watching the restless movements of her fingers. "You were already too nervous about meeting him, I didn't want to make it even more difficult for you. As I told you yesterday, I don't wish for you to be unmasked." Then he offered her a small smirk. "You said you don't want to work for a monster. Does it mean that you don't consider the Devil as such?"

She snorted at that. "Don't tease me. You _are _a monster, but of a different kind," she answered, still looking a bit irritated. "Technically speaking, even angels are monsters. But I surely don't compare them to Leviathans or to that Ker that has tried to kill me. Or to the others of your kind. Let's say that you're my exception. But just because you can be a nice bitch from time to time."

"Still sticking to that definition?" He asked raising an eyebrow, but there was only amusement in his tone this time. "I'll have to get used to it if I want to keep you around, I'm afraid. Wont it? Just refrain from calling me like that in front of my clients, my enemies and my minions. I have a reputation that must be protected." He took a sip of his whiskey. "Anyway. What Roman hired you for?"

"I'll behave," she promised with a teasing grin. Then she turned serious, her face darkening once again at the memory of the meeting. "He wants me to hack the hard disk from a Frank Devereaux guy. He said that he'll send it to me in a couple of days. He didn't tell me much. Just that this dude is a threat for his company. Which I guess means that he's a problem for their Leviathan stuff."

"I see." Crowley remained thoughtful for some moments. His eyes shone with a weird, almost pleased light. "I can think of just one thing that could push our Dick to consider a human a threat. This Frank must have found out about his plan and collected information about what the Leviathans are doing," he said slowly in the end. "Charlie, if this is true, you must bring to me whatever it's inside that hard disk. It's priceless information. And maybe our only way to know what they're plotting."

"So you're asking me to exploit the fact that I'm hacking it to steal information?" Charlene asked, a bit of concern filling her voice. "Great. If Roman finds out, I'm dead. And _eaten_."

The Devil looked straight into her eyes, his tone becoming soothing and gentle. "Oh, but you're an excellent hacker and I'm sure that they won't find out what you're doing until it's too late," he spoke with a grin. "And don't forget that you are safe and sound under my protection."

"Don't try to flatter me, your charm doesn't work here. If you were a middle-aged but still good-looking woman it could have, but your current body can do nothing to impress me," she pointed out, holding his gaze without much trouble. She had the feeling that the Devil was keeping something from her, but it wouldn't have been the first time. No matter how many times she asked him to tell her everything, he never did. "Anyway, fine. It's part of my duties and I'll do it. But I have a question."

"Your words hurt me, Charlie. You see, I like this body of mine. It quite suits my personality," the demon stated, faking offense, but his smirk never disappeared. "Do ask, my dear."

"Yeah, it looks good on you," she commented sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Then her tone got serious once again. "Why's Roman so worried about a human finding out about them? I mean, it's not like the world would believe this Frank if he decided to make what he has found out public. I mean, we're talking about _Leviathans_, not even the usual alien stuff! Just few paranoids would believe him. I don't see what harm could come to his plans."

"You're forgetting something essential here, Charlie. _Hunters_. There are people, more than you think, who hunt monsters for a living and Dick knows this. You met the Winchesters," the King of Hell pointed out. "Maybe not all of them would buy the Leviathans thing at the beginning, but they would surely investigate. Besides, he knows that the angels are looking for them too. And not only Castiel and Gabriel, because I'm sure that Raphael won't just stay seated and watch while some damned creature from Purgatory crashes her plans of bringing Paradise on Earth. And the Leviathans can't fight demons, angels and humans all together. Or better, they could, but it would mean much trouble, no matter how powerful they are. Can you see my point?"

"Yeah, you are right. I haven't thought about that," the young woman admitted pensively. There was still something that didn't fit in the whole situation, but she couldn't grasp what. "I'll get those pieces of information as soon as possible."

"Good girl," the Devil nodded in approval. He lifted his glass. "Now, should we toast to your successful job interview and enjoy a nice evening somewhere? I have some free time at the moment and I can tell you that Moscow is beautiful in this season."

Charlene gave him a weird look. "I'll pretend not to have noticed that you sounded like you were trying to woo me," she stated with a grimace. But then she lifted her drink in turn. "And I do it only because I've never been to Moscow."

"Maybe I am, after all, ignoring your sexual preferences. You know that I do also that just for fun. Besides, I'm still persuaded that you'd make a fine demon." Crowley's smirk widened. He loved teasing that girl. Her reactions were worth the trouble. "The city deserves a visit. If you've never been there, it's just one more reason to go on a small trip there."

"I've already told you: I'm not kissing a man, King of Hell or not. And I'm not turning into a demon," the woman said firmly, glaring at him, but she was almost smiling in turn. "Good. Come on, your _Highness_. Show me Russia, then. But get me some appropriated clothes too, 'cause I have no intention of freezing to death!"

** ж**

Castiel stayed with the Bales just until the morning of the day following Richard's rescue. His wounds got better surprisingly fast, at least in comparison to the others he had received recently, and he was getting restless. He had fallen asleep that night, which might have helped him to recover, and the fact had freaked him out. Angels didn't sleep, not in the way humans did at least. The shock of power he had showed while confronting Meg had to have worsened his conditions. He had started wondering again how much time he had left before falling completely, a question that had remained frustratingly unanswered since estimating it was impossible for him.

Moreover, he felt uncomfortable now that his companions knew what he was. They had taken it surprisingly well, never thinking of him as an enemy, not even for a moment. Thomas had even confided him that he was relieved to know that, somewhere, there was a higher power and a life after death, even if God was gone and angels were all bastards. He and Richard were believers, while Shane was more agnostic in her views, but after her speech in the bathroom she had gone back treating him as she had done before the revelation. The only moment in which they had stared at him in astonishment had been when he had asked for a burger after they had persuaded him to eat. Apparently seeing a divine being eating junk food had been too odd for them. He had really no reason to feel unwelcomed, but he still knew that he could no longer stay. Both because he was putting them in danger and because he needed to keep on searching.

No one was happy when he announced that he was about to leave, especially the young woman. She tried her best to persuade him to stay for some more days, but he was adamant in his decision. In the end she had to give up, but kept glaring at him for the whole time of the breakfast. He kept silent, almost not touching his food and watching the other three eating. He had put back on the clothes he had the day he had met them. Richard had done his best to patch them, but they still didn't look good as they used to.

In the end they all stood in the middle of the motel room, the angel with his back to the door and the hunters in front of him. He was wearing his usual blank expression, but his eyes were sparkling. "It is time for us to part our ways," he said quietly after some moments of silence. "I am extremely grateful for all you have done for me and I hope I will be able to solve my debt, sooner or later. Just accept my sincere gratitude for now."

Thomas smiled and offered him his hand. "You don't need to feel indebted to us, Castiel. It's been our pleasure to have you with us. And you saved both my children. I'm the one who is in debt," he claimed as they shook hands. "Feel free to come to us if you need any help. We'll be happy to lend you or your friends a hand. I wish you the best luck with your research." He stared at him straight in the eyes. "And let go, Castiel. Stop punishing yourself."

The angel didn't answer but gave him a small nod, silently assuring that he would try hard, and turned towards Richard, who, without warning, wrapped him in a hug. Castiel started, but didn't pushed him away and instead awkwardly patted his shoulder as he had done with Cupid during the Apocalypse. He still had problems with those enthusiastic ways to express affection.

"Good luck, Cas," the young man said, releasing him with a smile. "And thanks for everything. Dad's right, you're the one who's done much for us. We won't forget it and you shouldn't either. You're worth the trouble."

With that he stepped back to leave his place to his cousin. She took some steps forward, stopping right in front of the angel. He looked back at her, knotting his eyebrow together, unable to say from her determinate expression if she was going to punch him or to hug him in turn. Instead, to his astonishment, she grabbed his face with both hands and dragged him down to press a chaste kiss on his lips. His eyes widened in surprise and he stood still, not kissing back nor pulling away. It was different from the messy kiss he had shared with Meg. It was softer but more meaningful at the same time, and didn't feel empty as the first. It tasted like friendship and family.

Shane released him with a huge grin, most likely reading his thoughts in his expression. "I told you that friends can kiss each other from time to time," she laughed, winking at him. "So…This isn't a definitive goodbye. We'll see each other again. Promise me."

"I swear, Shane," he answered, but he couldn't meet her eyes. He didn't want to make any more promise that he didn't know if he would be able to keep. For what he knew, he could have perished before finding his way and he had the feeling that no one would bother to bring him back this time. "Thank you. I won't forget you."

"Sure you won't." The young woman stepped back and went to stand next to her cousin. "Behave, angel boy. And keep going, whatever happens. Got it?"

Castiel stared silently at her for some moments, then spread his wings and disappeared from the room. A part of him had wanted to stay with them, to remain in that warm corner where he had felt once again part of something bigger, welcomed and useful. They had reminded him why he had always chosen humanity after getting close to it through Dean. In them he had seen their kind's fragile strength, the same power that had allowed two mere humans to change Fate and stop Heaven's Will. He had almost forgotten it in the months he had spent dealing with the civil world and Crowley. He had got lost in the celestial affairs, almost losing all he had learnt through his and his companions' sufferance and blood. He didn't understand how it had been possible, how he had got so far away from what had given him so much.

Those thoughts pained him as he kept wandering. They were reminding him of the void in his chest, which seemed to get wider and wider as he flied away from those three humans. Maybe Thomas was right, maybe he was punishing himself, consciously separating from everyone and everything he cared about, putting his life in constant danger. Maybe his desperate research was just covering his unconscious death wish. Not that he wouldn't deserve it, dying alone and forgotten. But it would be a really selfish act from his part, something he couldn't afford after what he had done. Maybe he should just stop wandering pointlessly and try to find a way to solve the celestial conflict or at least to defeat the Leviathans. This way he would be putting at good use the small power he had left.

He considered his options. Challenging Raphael in his state would mean certain death, but maybe he could try to pick up a fight with a Leviathan. He was sure that they already knew that he was after them and since he was on his own he wouldn't expose Dean and Sam. He could try to get to know more about them and their weaknesses. It was worth a try. He just needed to find one of them. He tried to concentrate as much as possible. He could sense them, see the black bloody trails that they had left behind them while travelling on the planet. One wasn't too far from where he was flying. A pang of determination blossomed inside him. It was his chance. He forced himself to speed up, his wings leaving behind a rain of bright feathers.

** ж**

"We've looked everywhere, I swear!" Dean exclaimed, pacing around the room, the mobile phone glued to his ear. "Even the archangel bastard can't sense him, which means that the fucker is not here. Are you sure that that friend of yours has got the right information?"

"Balls! Frank knows what he does. Don't get angry with me if that thing's smarter than you idjits," Bobby answered from the other end of the line. He was getting annoyed with the older Winchester. The boy was always looking for someone to blame when he wasn't blaming himself for everything and he became unbearable. "I tried to call Frank back, but he isn't answering. I'll go check on him. Assuming that I'll be able to find him. He's the most paranoid person I've ever met. And I've met a lot of people in my life."

"Great," Dean snorted, clearly irritated. The situation was frustrating him to no end. He had thought that they could finally lay a hand on one of those Purgatory bastards, but they had lost it. "And what are we supposed to do while you're going on treasure hunt with your crazy friend? Keep on looking?"

"Do your damned job, Dean! Sam told me that there's something weird going on in the town where you're staying," the older hunter pointed out in an irritated tone. "I thought you boys didn't need a babysitter anymore."

"But if we stay here, we'll lose…" Dean tried to protest, but was interrupted.

"You've already lost it. And if you keep wandering randomly you'll just waste your time. And mine too. At least this way you'll be useful to those poor people. Now, stop bothering me and drag your lazy ass on that case. I'll call you as soon as I've got news."

The older Winchester didn't have the chance to talk back because the conversation was shut before he could open his mouth to dissent. He was left to just stare at the phone murderously for some moments, before throwing it away with force in a of rage, almost hitting Sam in the process. Luckily, Gabriel was quick enough to snap the flying object away before it ended against the younger Winchester's forehead.

"Dean, calm down!" the younger hunter exclaimed, shooting a grateful look to the archangel. "Bobby's right. We can't go after the Leviathan without a lead. He could be everywhere. It's better if we stay here and hunt down whatever is scaring off the whole town."

Dean growled, but didn't answer. He knew that the other two were right, but he just couldn't accept it. They had been riding across the country for two days, almost without taking a break, trying to reach the Leviathan that Bobby's friend had located, and then, once they had entered that damned town in the middle of nowhere, the creature had suddenly disappeared from the radar. To complicate the whole situation the Frank guy had stopped answering their calls before he told them all he had been able to find out about their enemies and they had discovered that something was very wrong with the town. So wrong that its inhabitants refused to talk about it, no matter how much they pressed on the matter.

"Dean?" Sam carefully called again, a bit of concern in his tone.

"Alright! Alright. We'll stay here and hunt whatever crap is going one here," Dean gave up, throwing his hands in the air. "But I swear that if we got stuck in something particularly nasty I'll destroy this whole God-forgotten town just because I can!"

The younger hunter shook his head and sighed. "We aren't doing anything until you have calmed down," he stated firmly, crossing his arms. "You're useless if you keep on yelling and trying to punch everything and everyone. Now sit down and breathe. Then, we'll get dressed and go play the FBI agents at the police station. Alright?"

"Do I have any other choices? My hands are tied!" His brother shot back in a harsh tone. He paced the room restlessly for some moments, then he turned towards the former Trickster, who was still seated on Sam's bed, playing absent-mindedly with the phone. "And you? Why the hell are you so fucking _quiet_? You've been silent for the last two days. I'm not saying that I miss your intrusive presence and your damned comments, but it's not normal not having you bitching every five minutes. What are you planning?"

"Nothing. I just thought that me shutting my pie hole would help your awful mood, kiddo," Gabriel answered mockingly, but his smirk was evidently forced. "Poor Sammy doesn't need more troubles from me as well."

"Oh, so you have become suddenly generous and caring?" Dean asked, obviously not believing a word of what he had been told. "Well, thanks a lot, freak!"

"You're welcome, Deano. My pleasure," the archangel talked back, getting up and letting the mobile fall on the mattress. "While you kids stay here and sort out your family issues, I'll go and make myself useful. Maybe I can play some tricks and find out what's really going on in this place. Have fun!" And he was gone in a flap of wings without giving them the time to react.

"What is wrong with him?" The elder exclaimed. Then he turned towards his brother. "Sam! What have you done to make him so upset?"

"Why me?! I've done nothing!" the latter protested raising his hands. Here they went again. Every time Gabriel did something in his older sibling's mind he had to be somehow involved. "He's been like that since we've left Bobby's. He's evasive, even with me. He has even stopped making moves on me. Not that I'm complaining but…You're right. It _is_ weird. But I still have no idea of what has gotten into him."

Dean rolled his eyes, muttering "Fucking moody archangels" under his breath, and Sam ran a hand in his hair. He was starting to worry about Gabriel and he knew that his brother was too, even if he would never admit it. The angel had been getting gloomier and gloomier in the past two days, almost never making inappropriate comments nor doing his usual flirting. On the contrary, he had been often quiet and almost hadn't touched him. At the beginning, he had been glad of that change of behaviour because he really needed a break from that constant taunting, especially after the intense moment they had shared while Gabriel was drugged, but with the passing time he had quickly understood that something was off with the shorter man. He had tried to address him on the matter, but he had received only ambiguous answers the few times the other had bothered to reply to his questions.

"Hey, Sam," the older Winchester called in an unsure tone, interrupting his thoughts. "Do you think that Gabriel being in an odd bad mood could have something to do with Cas?"

Sam kept quiet for a moment, reflecting. His brother's hypothesis could make sense, even if it was unlikely. He knew that the archangel checked regularly on their friend, but he was sure that he would have informed them if something bad had happened to the other angel. Or, if he had for some obscure reason chose not to tell them, he would have found an excuse to fly off and join his sibling wherever he was. "I don't know, Dean. It could be. But I'm not convinced," he answered in the end, uncertain. "Maybe he's just worried about Raphael's moves."

"Yeah, sure. You must be right," Dean mumbled looking away, but his dark expression remained. "Let's not jump to conclusions."

Sam couldn't help smiling a bit, sympathetically. "You miss him, don't you?" He said quietly. "I'm sure that Cas is fine. Well, as fine as he can be considering his weakening state, I mean. He'll be back soon. He can't stay away from you for too much time."

The older hunter glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, his tone becoming a bit harsh once again. "I'm not the one going around and banging angels and falling for them. That's _you_."

"I've banged just _one_ angel and I've not fallen for him. I…I like him. It's very different," Sam shot back defensively, looking away for a moment. "And don't you dare to judge me, I've already told you what I think about your "staring contests" with Cas. And you're always talking about my angel, so it would be a nice change if for once we talked a bit about _yours_."

"No way. It's more fun talking about you acting like a lovestruck teenage girl," Dean talked back, crossing his arms, but the mockery in his tone wasn't as firm as he wanted it to be. He was still thinking about Castiel. Sam was right, he missed the idiot and was worried about him. For the umpteenth time he wondered where the angel could be in that moment, what he could be doing and which troubles he had had to face in his wandering. He wished he knew why the bastard had left in the first place, what he had read in those words he had spoken. Maybe if he understood what was keeping him away, they could find him and persuade him to come back. Or perhaps he could try to follow Gabriel's suggestion and pray to him, tell him to stop being the asshole he was and to get his lazy feathery ass in their motel room. He should, and he would have if he hadn't been too fucking proud and still not fine with Castiel's betrayal. Maybe he was the idiot, not the angel. Not that he was going to admit it to anyone.

He bit back a sigh. He couldn't go on like that, snapping every time the angel's name was mentioned, losing his focus completely just because the thought of the other had crossed his mind, seeing those deep eyes in front of him every time he noticed how blue the sky was. He had just told Sam that he was acting like a girl, but inside his head he wasn't doing any better. He was glad that his brother couldn't read minds because otherwise he would have pointed out that maybe he wasn't the only one in the family who had a man-crush on an angel. Not that he liked Castiel in that way, but he had to admit that _maybe _someone who didn't know the dynamics of their relationship could get the wrong idea. Especially because of the angel's inability to understand the concept of personal space and his odd way of talking. And the staring. Despite what he had told his sibling, he actually saw his point after having considered the thing as something more. Castiel was always so open and straightforward with his feelings when it came to him that it was easy to see in his words something that wasn't there. A more profound bond. He almost snorted in amusement. He himself had almost misinterpreted what his best friend had meant with that phrase and he had felt the need to rephrase it immediately. And that was just one of the many times it had happened.

"Dean?" Sam called, bringing him back to the present. He raised an eyebrow. Was his brother _daydreaming_? "Are you still there?"

"I'm hungry. We still haven't eaten breakfast. Let's stop and grab some food before going to talk with the sheriff. I saw a nice diner on the road," the older hunter said, chasing away his thoughts. He pulled his FBI agent clothes out of his bag. "Oh, and later I'm going to have a good talk with that stupid archangel of yours. First of all, about the fact that he has to spit out what's turning him in such a moody girl. And secondly he needs to decide what he wants with you. And he has to do it quickly."

"What are you talking about?" The younger Winchester asked, confused by the last part of his brother's speech. He had got that his sibling had been in the middle of some serious thinking when he had interrupted him, but he was sure that Gabriel hadn't been the angel he was thinking about. So why was he speaking about the archangel now? He wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer to his own question.

"I mean that he needs to choose, Sam. There's a bloody freak trying to _woo _my younger sibling, so it's my duty as the elder to make sure that he isn't just playing with you," Dean stated firmly making Sam groaning. However, before the latter could say anything, he went on: "Shut up, I'm not done. We aren't discussing anything. I'm just informing you that I'll have a talk with him after that he'll either stop being a pervert around you or make up his fucking mind and seriously pursue you. What happens to you two in the second case, it's not my business. I'm not trying to defend your virtue, since he already took it. But at least I'll be sure that he isn't tricking you." He lowered his eyes on the clothes he was holding. His tone got darker without a warning. "One betrayal is enough, don't you agree?" He looked back at his brother, his voice going back to his usual one. "So, the asshole must show that he cares if he wants to date you. If he doesn't, he can go fuck with someone else, literally and metaphorically speaking. Got it?"

"Dean, you don't have to…" Sam tried, but was interrupted.

"I _do_, instead. Do you think I enjoy the idea of you and that bastard together? No. But since you seem unable to deal with your life on your own, I have to do it in your place," the elder pointed out firmly, his expression saying that he wouldn't change his mind. "Now, get dressed. We have a job to do." And with that he turned around and looked himself in the bathroom, leaving his brother standing in the middle of the room.

The younger hunter sighed and shook his head, not knowing if he should be more astonished or exasperated. In part he could understand why his brother was intruding so much in the matter. Dean didn't want him and Gabriel to end up like him and Castiel. He wasn't so blind that he didn't see the parallel between the two situations, even if the circumstances were very different. His sibling, not without reason, still didn't trust the archangel and he was worried that he would end up tricking them as the younger angel had done.

He reached out for his own clothes. To say the truth, the thought that the former Trickster could turn his back to them hadn't crossed his mind since what had happened with the Ker. Gabriel had offered to fight her for them and, even if the result hadn't been brilliant, he had confirmed what he had stated when he had protected them from Lucifer. He had chosen a side, _theirs_. Maybe the trust that he was conceding to the shorter man just concerned Dean even more. After all, Castiel had sacrificed everything for them and still he had lied to them and made a deal with Crowley behind their backs. And if that had happened, then everything was possible.

He sighed. He understood it all, but he still couldn't bring himself to fear such an about-face from Gabriel. Maybe time would prove that he was awfully wrong, but the fact was that he had come to trust him, even if he had kept telling himself that he couldn't afford it. There was a straightforwardness in their fights, in their mocking, in the way the archangel acted towards him, and especially in those few but meaningful serious moments they had shared that made him feel safe with the other. The difference between Gabriel and Castiel was that the first never put the "greater good" before his personal interests, and in this moment the latter were represented by him and Dean. He would never choose Heaven or whatever over them, over _him_. That was why the archangel would stick by their side until he wanted to. The real danger for him was on a more personal level. And he had to agree with Dean on that. He still had no idea about how Gabriel really felt towards him. Soft spot and all, but what did that really meant?

Sam ran a hand on his face. Maybe he should face the shorter man about the matter. Or, even better, allow his brother to do it, since Dean seemed so eager to solve the issue in his place. He could let him do that, even if he wasn't very fond of the prospect. The elder wasn't exactly great when it came to talking about delicate subjects. But since there was no way to dissuade Dean from acting on his decision, he could just exploit it and get his answers without having to bear an embarrassing and possibly painful conversation. He looked up at the ceiling, considering the possibility. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.

** ж**

Gabriel kicked a small rock out of his path, watching it fall in the near river. He had told the Winchesters that he would have gone investigating, but instead he was now a couple of states away from that bloody town. He needed some time to clear his head and to regain the control of his own emotions. He couldn't believe that he, the best trickster that the planet had ever seen, had been so _obvious_. He was ashamed of himself, and yet he knew that he couldn't have helped it. Too much time had passed since the last time he had felt so awfully overwhelmed. The day of Lucifer's Fall, the day when Heaven had changed forever into something very different from the place he used to call "home". After that he had lost himself in his newly created identity, far away from the joyous memories, from the timeless moments of peace and calm, from the bitter pain, from the feeling of loss and betrayal. He had lost a brother that day, he had been burdened by their Father's disappearance, he had watched his family shattered into pieces. It had been too much, he hadn't have the strength to stay.

He ran a hand in his hair, a habit he was sure he had got into because of Sam. The younger hunter always did it when he was nervous or worried. He smiled briefly, but his gloomy mood immediately washed away the brief ray of amusement that the thought had lit up inside him. He had never been able to chase away those painful memories, and now that he was living it all again they were stronger as ever.

His family was at war once again, threatening to tear more than one world apart. Their Father was hidden somewhere, distant and clearly with no intentions of preventing it, as he had been during the Apocalypse. And he had lost Castiel. Sensing his Grace had become harder and harder with the passing time and, soon after they had left Bobby's house to hunt the Leviathan down, he had realised that he could no longer perceive it. His brother was gone, his powers too weak to be sensed by him or any other. Or he could be dead, but that wasn't an option he wanted to consider. Besides, he would have known it if he had been killed while still possessing even the slight trace of angelic Grace in him. Even while he was just a trickster, he still heard the scream and the sorrow every time one of his siblings died. All of them did, it was unavoidable. Castiel had just become more of a human than a divine being. Which meant, he couldn't help reminding himself, that he was just a few steps away from dying.

A pang of anger blossomed in his chest. He couldn't accept it. If Castiel had stayed he would have been able to heal him, even if temporarily. But that idiot had to go and play martyr for the sake of a mere human, wandering out of his reach and risking his whole existence for something that he perhaps would never find. Assuming that he knew what he was doing, which was not the impression he had got when he had seen him for the last time more than a week ago.

He kicked another rock, this time more violently. He wanted to blame Castiel, Dean, Sam, Raphael, their Father, _himself _for all that mess, but he found that he couldn't. Not completely. All of them had made so many mistakes, but at the same time he couldn't say that it was just their fault. The events had led them to make those decisions, to act in that way, at times not even giving them a real choice. They had just tried to do what they thought was the best thing. And that was the result. Could it have been better if they had chosen differently? Maybe, but it could have been worse too. There was no way to know and he had no intention of going back in time and trying to change the events. The last thing he needed now was the grudge of the Fates.

He sat down on the shore, crossing his arms and legs, and closed his eyes. He remained still for long minutes, just listening to the sounds of nature and letting the peace of that place calm his troubled feelings. Maybe he should tell the Winchesters about Castiel. They deserved to know. However, he didn't want to burden them with that, not now that they were finally closer to one of their enemies. He had to deal with that situation on his own, at least for now, at least until he found out what kind of news he was actually breaking to them. Should he go and look for his sibling? He had given his word that he wouldn't, but wasn't he allowed to break it in such extreme circumstances? He shook his head. He had sworn to Cas and especially to himself that he would have trusted the other angel. Too many betrayals had been committed since that story had begun and he couldn't let his brother down again. He had to swallow down his concern and keep doing what he was required to. He hated it, but he knew that it was the real _right _choice. Even if it could cost the highest price.

He let his back fell on the grass, his bare feet sinking in the cool water. He should go back and start looking for what was wrong in the town. He really should, but he was not ready yet to wear the sly mask of the Trickster and walk the scene of his archangel self. He just wanted to be himself for some times, with Loki and Gabriel being just names without a role attached to them.

He opened his eyes slowly. The sky was so blue, so _pure_, and the air tasted like honey. He could almost pretend that he was back in the boundless meadows of Heaven, enjoying Michael and Lucifer's spats, or watching Raphael reading, or listening to his younger siblings singing. He could almost pretend to be seated on a golden rainbow with Castiel, observing in awe and wonder their Father as He created life. He would stay there and pretend, just for a moment, that he would get back what he had lost forever.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

The pain was burning through his body, as if fire was running in his veins instead of blood. The creature was even stronger than he had anticipated and now it was smirking at him, careless of the deep wounds opened all over in his body. Black liquid came out from the ripped flesh, flooding on the floor and gathering in small pools. Castiel was panting, his free hand pressed tightly against his injured shoulder while the fingers of the other were gripping at his blade. His face was smeared with blood, dirt and sweat and his sight was getting blurred and blurred. The black lymph had spurted on some of his wounds, making them burn and leak nasty yellow pus.

When he had landed he had managed to catch it off guard. The Leviathan had seemed to be caught up in something else and hadn't noticed it when he had had jumped on it. However, it had reacted very quickly and the fight had immediately become violent. The angel had managed to sink his swords in many vitals point but he had obtained only to make his opponent growl in pain. No matter how deep or large the wounds he gave it were, the creature seemed mostly unaffected and healed quite fast too. Nothing seemed able to stop it.

"Come on, little angel, stop being a bore and let me have that nice body of yours! I promised I'll kill you quickly. After all we must thank you for being out of Purgatory!" The Leviathan exclaimed, almost laughing at him. "You came just in time. I'm feeling a bit peckish." He licked his lips, eyeing Castiel's shoulder hungrily. "And from the small taste I had I can tell that it will be a delicious meal. I can't wait to have it ripped open in front of me!"

The angel tightened his grip on the spot where his opponent had sunk its teeth. The blood was still flooding out profusely and he didn't have enough Grace left to stop the haemorrhage. The best thing he could have done would have been flying away, but retreating now would have meant wasting the opportunity to find out his opponent's weak point. Besides, he didn't think that the creature would allow him to leave so easily. He took a deep breath and didn't bother to answer the taunt. He had to stay focused and find a way out of that situation. A thought came in his mind. There was something he still hadn't tried. It was a hazard, but it was worth a try. He just needed to get close enough to his enemy.

The Leviathan only smirked more widely when he threw himself on him once again. Castiel missed him on purpose and didn't try to correct the trajectory of his blow when the other avoided it. What he hadn't expected was the creature grabbing his elbow and pulling him towards it. Their bodies collided violently, almost throwing them both on the ground. The angel reacted almost immediately, instinctively struggling against the irony grip, but his opponent was faster. Its head altered, losing his human features in a heartbeat and the monster bent down again on his left shoulder, biting more deeply than he previously had and tearing away a good mouthful of flesh.

Castiel screamed in agony as blood spurted out of the wound, soaking his trench coat and washing over the Leviathan's face. He gave a strong pull, finally managing to free himself, and extended his arm, aiming the sword towards his enemy's neck. The blade met the skin hard enough to cut through it and successfully decapitated the creature. Its head fell on the ground, rolling away, and the body swung for a few seconds before collapsing with a dull thud in a pool of black ooze.

The angel stared at it, unable to do nothing but panting hard. He couldn't believe that he had managed to neutralise the creature. He knew it wasn't dead, he could still feel its vital energy, but it would take it a while to repair the damage. If he took the head far enough maybe it would be as if it was dead. But he didn't have the energy now. His own head was spinning for the blood loss and his legs grew weaker without warning, making him fall on his knees. He knew that he needed to leave before the Leviathan healed, but the mere thought of flying made him feel sick. His powers were slowly working on the missing flesh and he could feel every bit of muscle, tendon, and skin growing back painfully.

He forced himself to get up and finally succeeded after a couple of failed attempts. A burning shock ran through his wings as he stretched them out, more invisible feathers falling down all around him, and he took a deep breath before taking off. He had no idea of where he was going and his mind was too clouded to allow him any sense of direction. Unconsciously he perceived something pulling him down, but the feeling was so faint that he didn't really acknowledge it.

One moment later he found himself on a cold marble floor, without any memory of the impact with the surface if not a dull ache in his back. There was someone towering over him, but he couldn't put the figure into focus, no matter how hard he tried. There was blood in his eyes and the pain was simply too much. He remembered the feeling of being torn apart from his previous deaths, but it had lasted just one moment. This time the feeling was much stronger and it didn't seem to be dulling any time soon.

"Oh, look at what we have here," the shadow above him sang, sounding pleased, and he realised that he knew that voice somehow. "What a nice surprise! I wasn't expecting you of all people! But I guess that you don't even know where you are."

Castiel opened his mouth to speak, but his throat was too dry and he didn't manage to make a sound. So he tried to put himself in a seated position, succeeding after some moments, and run a hand on his eyes, in the attempt to clear his sight. "I…I wish I could disagree," he managed to say. Then he added in a spiteful tone as realisation dawned on him: "_Demon_."

"There, there, angel boy. Let's keep the insulting for later," Crowley smirked, amused by his unexpected guest's poor state. He played with the angel blade he had picked up from the floor. "You're in deep trouble, darling. I was looking for you, you know that, don't you? I must say I wasn't pleased by your little trick and I can be quite nasty when I'm disappointed in someone. So, what should we do?"

"Don't ask me. You're the one who makes deals, so you're the expert here," the angel said, his voice emotionless, but he was aware that the other had spoken the truth. He had no way out and if the demon decided to kill him on the spot or to torture him he couldn't have done anything to stop it. "You tell me."

"It must be your lucky day because I'm in a good mood. You can keep your sorry life, for now. Whatever creature has reduced you in such a condition has already done a good job. But I'll have you wash my floor as soon as you're well enough to stand." The King of Hell waved his hand and two other demons stepped out of the shadows of the room. He watched them as they roughly lifted his speaker from the ground, keeping him standing. "For now, just be my guest. I'll give you a nice place inside a circle of holy fire until I decide what to do with you." He turned his attention to his subordinates. "Take him away."

Castiel let the two drugged him out of the room. He wanted to struggle, to get their hands off, to kill them and go away, but he could do nothing. His body wasn't responding and he had been robbed of his only weapon. He was completely at Crowley's mercy. And he couldn't see a way out of that situation.

** ж**

"Oh, come on, sheriff! Twenty-one people had died in the last three years and a half and you still claim that there's nothing going on?!" Dean exclaimed, incredulous, opening his arms widely and almost hitting his brother's face in the process. "Do you really think we're so _stupid_? I'm offended! This is our job, we know when something's going on!" He glared at the middle-aged man seated in front of him. "By keeping information from us, you're covering a murderer, sheriff. We could charge you with complicity, you should know that!"

After having left them waiting for almost an hour and half, the sheriff had finally accepted to meet the Winchesters, but he had kept on denying that something strange had been happening to his town, even in front of a pair of supposed-to-be FBI agents. The brothers had pressed him, at first firmly but gently, and then, since the man had refused to give any information and had tried more than once to send them away, Dean had decided that he had enough of those lies and had gone for a more direct attack. It was clear that the policeman knew something, the nervousness and hostility hidden in his polite ways betrayed it, and the older hunter had no intention of losing more time with pleasantries.

"_Agent_, please!" Sam called out, shooting a warning glance to his sibling, who looked back at him with annoyance. Then he turned towards the policeman. "Sheriff Myers, please, forgive my colleague's behaviour. Patience isn't one of his talents," he offered politely, refraining from glaring at Dean again. Then his tone became firmer. "However, I'm afraid that he's right. You're interfering with a federal investigation and there will be consequences for you if you don't start to collaborate." He crossed his arms on his chest, staring straight into the man's eyes. "People have died, sheriff, and more will die, if we don't stop this. There's a pattern, it's clear as the sun. Three victims every six month, murdered each year on the same night. It's not a coincidence. These killings are serials."

The sheriff rubbed a hand on his forehead, looking conflicted and almost scared. The hunters exchanged a careful glance. Everyone in the town they had tried to interrogate had shown the same kind of emotions, in their own personal way. It was as if they were afraid that something terrible would happen to them if they spoke of what they knew.

In the end, after a whole minute of silence, the man sighed and closed his eyes, folding his hands in front of him. "Alright. Listen, agents, I'm not covering anyone, I swear it to God. I'm just protecting me and my family. The last time someone has spoken about this to an outsider, they have both died. He was one of my best men and he wanted the Government to come and do something about the murders. He told the story to a journalist, so that she could write a detailed article. They have been two of the next three victims. Six months later, it was his girlfriend's turn. This was two years ago and since then no one else has ever spoken about this again," he said quietly. His tone was forced, as if each word cost him a huge effort. "After that episode, we have stopped investigating. In a year and a half we had found nothing and we had only obtained to get whoever got near the truth killed. I won't talked back if you state that I've been a coward, but the sorrow I've been facing during these years is simply too much. My men refused too to work on the case and I couldn't blame them. I'll give you the folder with all the information we have managed to collect. But please, no more questions. I have kids, agents. And if I were you, I'd quickly pack my things and go back to Washington before it's too late."

"Thank you for the advice, but I'm afraid we can't take it, sheriff," the younger Winchester claimed in a gentler tone. That explained a lot. Apparently whatever was murdering the people of that town was doing a very good job in keeping every prying eye away. "The folder will do. And I promise that we won't bother you again." He became pensive for a moment. "Just one last thing. If everyone knows about the killings, why haven't you just left the town?"

The sheriff's expression got even darker. "Some have tried, once the people understood that we could do nothing to protect them," he answered slowly, looking down at his fingers. "We've found their corpses near the town borders the day after they had left. Whoever's doing this won't let anyone escape. The victims are more than twenty-one. But officially we've never found evidence that could connect their deaths with the other murders." He reached for one of the drawers of the desk and pulled out a thick folder. "It's all here. Now, I must ask you to leave."

Sam stood up and elbowed his brother to make him do the same. "Of course," he nodded, offering his hand to Myers. "Thank you, sheriff."

The policeman said nothing as he shook it, doing the same with a reluctant Dean soon after, and then watched them leaving the office with the folder. When the older hunter had taken the documents from him a pang of relief had blossomed on his face, as if they had just freed him from a big responsibility. Dean had snorted quietly at that, but Sam had found it understandable. For almost four years the man had carried the burden of those deaths on his shoulders. Passing it to them didn't make up for his failure, but at least allowed him to think that now he was no longer the one to blame.

"We've wasted a lot of time in there," Dean spoke, irritated, as soon as they were out of the police station. "And for what? For a fucking bunch of papers!"

"That "bunch of papers" is the only lead we have, Dean," Sam stated calmly, but he rolled his eyes. He understood that his brother was still annoyed about the Leviathan's disappearance, but it wasn't a good excuse to unload his irritation on whoever was around him. They couldn't just ignore the fact that people were dying. However, he decided not to make more comments about the other's bad mood and opened the folder as soon as they got in the car, looking quickly through it. "Alright. We have all the information about the victims, the autopsies, the photos of the crime scene. All the corpses, apart from the ones of the people who've tried to leave, have been found in an open space located just outside the town outskirts. We should check it as first thing."

"Fine. But I've got the feeling that we won't find anything relevant," the older hunter mumbled, shifting on the driver seat. He let out a loud breath and paused for a moment before starting the engine. "You know, whatever is responsible for those deaths must be powerful. It doesn't allow any of the citizens to leave the town and is able to drag its victims out of their houses without anyone noticing. I'm not in the mood of facing another pagan monster."

"Considering that the murders are cyclical, it could be some kind of deity. But I'm sure that, after what happened with the Ker, Gabriel would have told us if he had sensed something," Sam pointed out, looking thoughtful. "He isn't in the mood for jokes or games. You know it as well. He's as clueless as us this time."

"Great. Then I'm hoping that he's really investigating as he has said before disappearing, 'cause I'm afraid that we'll need a hand with this," Dean stated a bit reluctantly as they headed out of town. "Any relevant connection among the victims?"

"I'll call him as soon as we're done," the younger Winchester promised, then turned his attention back to the folder. "Nothing. They knew each other, but this is a small town, it's pretty normal. No relevant disagreements or problems with each other and the other citizen. Just daily life." He flipped through the papers. "There's something on the crime scene. In the past, the open space was used as the place where the citizens gathered together for discussing and where itinerant companies did their shows. Maybe someone has died or has been killed and his spirit now is tormenting the town."

"But if they had been dead for so many years, why starting now? The killings should have begun soon after his or her death," Dean pointed out, sceptical. "It's more likely that something has happened in that place four years ago. I don't know, some kids making a wrong ritual or similar. It wouldn't be the first time."

Sam nodded, tapping his fingers on the folder. "Or perhaps someone has brought a cursed object in the town. That's a possibility too."

The older hunter made a face. "Yeah. But I hope it's not. Those things are really bitchy to deal with. Remember the rabbit's foot?"

"Don't mention it. That thing almost got me killed!"

"That's why I don't want to have another one in my hands again."

Sam muttered out a quiet agreement and then turned to look out of the window as Dean raised the volume of the music. It was useless making more conjectures without an actual lead on which they could speculate. It could really be anything. They hoped that inspecting the open space would help them gathering some relevant clue that would allow them to understand what they were dealing with.

It took them fifteen minutes to reach the place. It was a round space, made of tread soil and gravel. It looked like as if it hadn't been used for a while and the weeds had grown among the rocks making the clearing look squalid, together with different kinds of rubbish. All around it the trees grew untidily, creating a thick barrier that mostly hid the place from whoever passed on the main road. The two hunters exchanged sceptical glances before pulling out their EMF meters and walking towards the opposite side of the open space. Maybe they could reveal signs of spirit activity if one or more ghosts were behind the murders, but it would be difficult to find something more concrete. Even with the sheriff's folder finding out what had really been happening in that town would be a real challenge.

** ж**

Gabriel shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked down a random street. Those humans were proving to be a challenge even for him. He had tried many of his tricks, but he hadn't managed yet to get the information he needed. After the fifth failed conversation, he had been tempted to just break into his speaker's mind and rip the knowledge out of it, but he had restrained himself. Considering the amount of reluctance and reticence they showed to him, the intrusion would have surely brought pain to them and required some efforts from him. Since he was working with the Winchesters he was trying to play nice and save his power for the Leviathans. However, after wasting a whole morning, he was starting to rethink his decision. He could allow himself to be a bit cruel and he would have plenty of time to recover.

A piercing yelp broke the train of his thoughts and he lifted his eyes from the pavement to look around, searching for the source of the scream. Across the street there were a young boy and an even younger girl, surrounded by four teenagers who had to be at least three or four years older than them. The girl was on the floor, holding a bag against her chest, while the boy was standing in front of her, arms opened widely in a protective gesture.

"Stop! Go away! Leave us alone!" He was shouting with force, but Gabriel could see that he was trembling. "Why are you always tormenting us?"

"And what will you do if we don't leave you be? Wanna fight us?" One of the aggressors asked, earning a laugh from his companions. "Now, give us your money and we'll see you next week. Or, if you prefer, we can always have you beaten up nicely in front of your precious sister. Unless she wants so participate too."

"Don't you dare to touch her!" The boy exclaimed, almost growling, while the girl hugged her bag even tighter. "You're dealing with me, leave Margot out of this!"

"Tyler…" Margot called weakly from her spot on the floor. "Please, let them have what they want and let's go home…"

"Not this time!" Tyler said, but the determination in his voice was faltering.

"Oh, so you choose the beating?" Another teenager asked, cracking his knuckles. "Good. I was just in the mood for teaching a lesson to a weakling like you!"

"Sorry to inform you, but you and your friends are the ones who'll learn a lesson today if you wimps do not disappear right now," Gabriel called from behind them, making the whole group start. "You cowards only pick on who's smaller than you. It's not very honourable, is it?"

"Who the hell are you? And who are you calling cowards?!" The first guy exclaimed, incredulous. "I'll make you regret your words, you freak! Mind your own business!"

The archangel easily dodged the fist that the teenager threw him, tripping him in the process and sending him on the floor, his face hitting a mud puddle that had conveniently appeared on that spot. The other aggressors hesitated for a moment, before jumping all together on him, but they ended up in a similar position, they clothes tearing in different places out of the blue. Gabriel watched them, raising an eyebrow and slowly playing with the knife he had stolen from the one who had to be the boss of the gang. Fighting humans was so easy that he almost didn't need to move a finger to get rid of them.

"Are you done?" He asked when the four lifted their heads from the asphalt. "Or do I need to work you over again?" He stopped moving the blade and held it out towards them. "And I promise you that I'll do much worse if you don't leave these kids alone once and for all. Got it, yellow-bellied?"

The four exchanged glances and growled at him, but got up and fled as quickly as possible. He watched them until they disappeared behind a corner and nodded in satisfaction. He had never liked bullies and he was surely finding a way to prank on those idiots before he left the town. The Winchesters wouldn't be happy, but he couldn't care less. Those humans deserved every wicked idea that would come into his mind. He smirked widely at the thought and turned towards the two children, who were staring at him in awe.

"You alright, kiddos?" He asked, watching the boy helping the girl up.

"Yeah. Thank you, mister," Margot nodded slowly, while Tyler frowned deeply. "They always bully us. And they steal our pocket money every week."

"No mister here. Name's Gabriel," the former Trickster corrected her, taking a step towards them. "Well, this was the last time. Trust me, girl. They won't bother you again."

"How can you be so sure? In this place everybody does what they want. Not even the police can do something about it. Not after the murders started. You're obviously an outsider since you don't know this," Tyler talked back in a gloomy tone. "We're all going to be chosen sooner or later, so no one cares about what happens to the others. It wasn't like that before. Now not even Dad cares if those bastards beat us up."

Gabriel's eyes narrowed at the mention of the killings. Maybe it was his chance to gain some more information. "The murders?" He repeated calmly, titling his head slightly. "You mean the three people that are killed every six months?"

The boy seemed to immediately regret his previous words. "We can't talk about this. They told us not to," he quickly amended, looking away. "You get chosen if you do."

"But you'll get killed anyway sooner or later, won't you? You told me that," the archangel pointed out, opening his arms. "Listen to me, kiddo. I'm here with two friends to stop all this. But we can't do anything if no one tells us what's going on. I've been around all morning asking in vain for some information. I saved you, you owe me a little favour."

"How are you planning to stop this? You can't. They tried for a long time and they all died," Tyler pointed out, bitterly. "You'll die as well."

The creature crossed his arms, swallowing an harsh comment and forcing himself to be patient instead. "I see your point, Tyler. That's your name, isn't it? Well, I understand. You've seen many people died around you, maybe even someone close to you and your sister," he spoke gently and saw the children flinching at his last words. He reached out for the surface of their thoughts and the images of a gravestone with a woman's name on it spread in his minds. "It was…your mother, wasn't it?"

The boy looked at him in shock and Margot, who had been silent since then, exclaimed: "How do you know? You know us?"

He couldn't help chuckling a bit. "In a way, I do," he replied cryptically with a playful grin. "I know many things, Margot. You can't imagine. I have a secret as well, and I'm sure that if I told you, you wouldn't believe me. We could make an exchange. I tell you that if you tell me about those murders."

The siblings exchange an uncertain glance and then looked back at him. Gabriel titled his head. He could sense their curiosity, but the reluctance was still too strong to let them open their minds to him. They were scared to death and full of suspicion. He could understand. He had spent most of his life deceiving and lying, so he knew too well how much trusting someone could cost.

"Alright. I'll start telling you something," he said after some more moments of silence. "You wanna know why I'm sure we'll stop whatever is going on? Because my friends hunt monsters for a living. They've been doing this since when they were younger than you two. And they're pretty good at it. The bests maybe. As for myself, I can be really useful."

"Are you some kind of secret agents?" Tyler asked, frowning again, this time in both confusion and scepticism. "And what do you mean with "monsters"?"

"We work on our own, no big organisation involved. They…We just protect people because that's what we want to do," the archangel answered, trying to hide the bit of uncertainty that had made him stutter. He wasn't part of the Winchesters' small team. Not really. But he surely couldn't tell the children that he was one of the monsters either. "All the kind of monsters. The human ones, but also the ones who hide in the darkest places of this world."

"Dad says that those monsters don't exist. They're just stories to scare the children," Margot pointed out, looking at him in a strange way. "You must be lying! Or you're nuts."

"Sometimes I wish I could agree with your father, Margot. It would be much easier for you humans," he shrugged, looking up at the sky. If God had thought the world better, making it free from any sort of abomination, maybe humankind would have been allowed some sort of happiness. But it wasn't in his Father's style to make things easy. "But I guess that it would mean that I wouldn't exist either. And I like being alive, so I'm fine with the current state of things."

Tyler raised an eyebrow in a way that reminded him of himself when he heard the worst crap, but in his eyes there was a strange glimpse he couldn't interpret, similar to the odd look that had run on his sister's face just a moment before. "You're implying that you're a monster?"

He smirked, amused. He hadn't planned the conversation to take that turn, but he was enjoying the reaction of his speakers. "Someone called me that way, more than once. But if you need to classify me, I'm, just to quote one of my younger brothers, an angel of the Lord. Gabriel, the archangel. Ever heard of him? That's me!" The children stared at him as if he was crazy and his grin widened even more. They didn't believe him, as he had expected. After all, he didn't get how some humans could still believe in his Father with all the evil that destroyed their world every day a bit more. "You see? You still think I'm lying!"

"Prove it!" The girl stated, crossing her arms and trying to look threatening. "Where are your wings? Angels have wings, don't they? And they should be gorgeous!"

The former Trickster stared at her in disbelief. "Hey! No need to be offensive! I _am_ good-looking!" He protested loudly, feeling slightly offended. "What's wrong with my looks?"

Margot blushed to the roots of her hair at that. "I…Sorry! I didn't mean to say that you're ugly!" She muttered, embarrassed, looking at her shoes and shifting her weight on her feet. "It's just…I mean, you…You're…_short_."

"Here we go again," Gabriel grumbled between himself as he rolled his eyes. What was with humans and his height? "This isn't my true form. Humans can't look at it, 'cause if they do it would burn their eyes out," he explained, gaining slightly impressed looks. An idea came into his mind. "Listen, I'm not sure that I can prove you that I'm an angel, but I surely can prove you that I'm not human. I'm very good with tricks. _Real _magic ones." He grinned at them and snapped his fingers, materializing two steaming cups in his hands. "You both like hot chocolate, don't you?"

The two widened their eyes in wonder, but it took them some more moments to find the courage to reach out for the mugs. They were hot and undeniably solid. The archangel watched them took the first sip and his satisfaction grew even more when he saw their eyes sparkling with delight. From the expressions they wore when they looked back at him he immediately knew that he had conquered them.

"Best chocolate in the word!" Tyler exclaimed cheerfully, licking the thick hot liquid away from his lips. "Better than Aunt Amy's!"

"Yeah! You really must be an angel! Bad monsters wouldn't be able to make something so good," Margot agreed, nodding with force, her face pressed in her cup.

Gabriel felt the urge to correct her, to tell her that he had done many bad things, that the Devil was his eldest brother and that he could do a lot of marvellous things as well, but he decided against it. They would learn on their own that the difference between right and wrong wasn't so easy to see. "I'm glad you like it. Now, isn't your turn to tell me something?"

They hesitated for a moment, but in the end the boy nodded. "Yes. If you…If you really can stop this…You need to know. But not here. Follow us."

The children turned around and started walking down the street without waiting for an answer. The archangel followed, briefly wondering where they were leading him, but he abandoned the question almost immediately. He would see once they got there. Along the way the few people they met glared at him with suspicion, but nobody tried to stop them or ask what a stranger was doing with two kids. Tyler had spoken the truth: everybody cared only about themselves and they would gladly close their eyes before any kind of crime. Living for four years with the terror that they would be the next ones had destroyed almost every feeling of empathy.

They reached their destination after about ten minutes. Tyler opened a small wooden gate for him, letting him in a well-kept garden. Margot ran towards the house set in the middle of the small field and disappeared inside. The boy, instead, pulled his sleeve and led him towards a table set under the small porch set against the side of the building. Gabriel set down, quickly looking around. It was a good place for living, even if it was a bit too spartan for his personal likings.

The girl came back in that moment, carrying a trail with a carafe of juice and a plate full of biscuits. "I made them!" She claimed proudly, pointing the sweets. "I hope you'll like them."

"Thanks, girl," the former Trickster grinned, grabbing a cookie. "I'll surely love them. You see, I'm an angel with a sweet tooth!"

Margot chuckled and sat down next to Tyler, who was wearing a more serious expression. His sister had to sense the tension because grew quiet almost immediately and busied herself with filling their glasses.

Gabriel finished his biscuit, licking the crumbs away from his fingers before speaking. "So, Tyler, your turn. I'm listening."

The boy kept quiet for some moments, still not persuaded that he had made the right choice. The archangel didn't press him, deciding that it would be unproductive, but kept his eyes fixed on his thin figure, expectantly. He could see doubt and fear swim in child's brown eyes, but he also grasped a glimpse of determination. The terror that those four years had left inside him was strong, but the desperation and the sorrow caused by his mother's death had made the will to see all that ending even stronger.

In the end Tyler sighed and started to speak. "Actually, we don't know very much about this. We're just kids, the adults never speak about this kind of things when we are around. Just Mom used to explain us the situation. She believed that we deserve to know what was happening in our town." He stopped for a moment, fixing his gaze on the table. "Dad's never been happy with her telling us those stories, mostly because he thought that they were all crap. You see, Mom was a real believer. She believed in God, Heaven and angels. But she also believed that Evil and monsters were real as well. Not the kind of fake monsters they say that hide under children's beds of course, but those who hurt and killed people, like the ones you and your friends hunt." He frowned unhappily at the memory. "Margot has always taken words for true, even if she never admitted it, but I didn't. I thought it was just a way to keep the truth from us, not to have us known that the monster behind the killings was someone like us. A person. But I found out that I was wrong."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow at the last sentence and waited for the boy to go on, but the other remained quiet, a dark expression on his face. He bit back a sighed. Why were humans so difficult when it came to tell what they know? "What happened, Tyler?" He asked in the end, seeing that he was getting only silence. "What did you see?"

Tyler made a reluctant noise, but before he could open his mouth, Margot answered for him. "We were up that night, when Mom disappeared. We saw her go away," she spoke, looking extremely uneasy. "But it wasn't her. I mean, it was her but at the same time she wasn't. It was as if she was…was…"

"Possessed?" The archangel finished for her, seeing that the girl was unable to find an appropriate word to describe her mother's state. He narrowed his eyes, shifting on his chair. The story was starting to get interesting.

"Yeah. I…I think. Something like that," the girl nodded, uncertainty dripping from her tone. "We saw her from the window of our room and we immediately knew that something was wrong. It was the Night, that was why we were up. Someone says that, maybe, if you don't sleep you don't get taken. We ran after her and we reached her before she could leave the garden. Tyler called her name and she turned. Her eyes were…" Her voice broke, but she forced herself to keep going. "They were so empty. She was not our Mom. She never smiled in that cruel way, nor said those bad things. We were scared and we ran away. We didn't try to stop her." She started to sob and her brother immediately hugged her tightly, but his face betrayed the same amount of guilt and regret.

Gabriel got up and stretched an arm towards them. "There, there, kids. It's not your fault. You couldn't have stopped her. No one could have," he said, even if it wasn't the complete truth, making them look up towards him. He forced a smile. "You were brave enough to run to her. She surely knows this and I bet she is very proud of you." He mentally snorted at his clichéd words, but forced himself not to roll his eyes. They seemed to have worked on his speakers, even if he found them awfully trivial. Margot had stopped sobbing and Tyler looked less tense. He decided to exploit the light change of mood to press them. "Now, kids. I need to know what kind of horror stories your mother used to tell you. I'm sure that whatever it's hidden in them is the key to solve this mystery and stop what had taken her once and for all."

The girl shot a questioning glance at his brother, who hesitated for a moment before shrugging. "Go on, Margot. You're better than me at telling stories," he stated in the end, even if he didn't seem to be agreeing with his own words. The tale brought back to them painful memories and he would have rather not making his sister tell it, but she had always been much more attentive than him when their mother spoke about those events and so she surely remembered more details.

"You know the field where the body has been found, Gabriel? Well, a long time ago travelling performers companies made their shows there," Margot started to tell, playing with her glass of juice. "Now it doesn't happen anymore, because they prefer going bigger cities, but back then it was a tradition of this town to welcome them. Each company used to stay for a week or so and then came back the next year in the same period. Mom was a child at the time, but she still remembered the last performances that have taken place here." She stopped for a moment, as if she was trying to find the best way to get to the point. "There was a circus that used to come twice a year. Mom has never seen it because its last show was more than fifty years ago, before she was born, but she has heard about it from one of the old men of the town. She always said that the performances were spectacular and breathtaking, and that the performers were amazing. But she also told us that there was something strange. The atmosphere was dark and frightening. The shows took place in semidarkness and the background music was disquieting. Mom used to call it the "Circus of Horrors". Nothing bad happened, until when, one night, there was a huge fire which killed many of the people who worked in the circus and destroyed the whole camp."

"Mom told us that the police considered it an accident, but there wasn't a real investigation. So the survivors left as soon as they managed and never came back," Tyler went on, seeing his sibling hesitating again. "However, the man who told her the story disagreed with the accident theory. He never told why he did, but he confessed to our mother that the circus was cursed and that the fire was just the first act of a terrible revenge."

"A revenge? Against the town?" Gabriel asked, frowning. He had spent enough time among humans to know very well the extent of black magic powers. If he had guessed the end of the story right, he wouldn't have been surprise to hear that the old man's theory was that someone had managed to bind a whole bunch of murderous ghosts to that town.

Margot however shook her head. "No, against the performers. The man told Mom about this fortune-teller who worked at the circus. He didn't really take part in the shows, but he came in the town during the day and read the card to whoever asked him. His predictions were incredibly accurate. Apparently he had a fight with some other members of the circus because he had foretold something they hadn't liked. He was wounded badly and lost his sight. The owner of the circus decided that he had no use for him, also because he didn't want other tensions among the performers, and he was cast out," she explained quietly, and the archangel had the impression that she was feeling bad for that human, even if he could be the one indirectly responsible for the murderers. "The fortune-teller remained here after the circus left, but his life wasn't easy. He had to live mostly on charity and, even if most people tried to be kind with him, he was so full of hate that nothing really mattered to him but his revenge. Then, when the circus came back six months later, on the night of the last show, the fire happened. The fortune-teller was found dead in his tent the day after with a talisman in his left hand. Heart attack, Mom said. But she and the old man thought that it had been something else."

"The price for the curse," the former Trickster added for her, receiving a nod as an answer. He crossed his arms, looking thoughtful. "Makes sense. The guy gets blinded and kicked out and seeks revenge for that. While he stays here, he finds the right incantation, something that will give his former buddies a fate similar to his. They'll be forced to stay forever in a world where they don't belong, unable to interact with it and to find peace. But…Something must have happened since the spirits are able to commit these murders. The ghosts are obviously enraged and they unload their hate for their situation on the people of the town, not letting anyone who was born here escape." He hummed quietly. "Powerful stuff. It won't be easy to undo it."

"But if that's true, why have the murders started only four years ago? If the spell had a weak point, why the spirits haven't used it before?" Tyler asked, looking sceptical, but Gabriel could clearly feel the fear underneath his attitude. "It doesn't make sense. Does it?"

"Good question, kiddo. You're smart," the archangel commented, flashing him a grin. "You see, this kind of magic needs to be bond to something physical to work. Our guy must have created some kind of cursed object, namely the amulet he was holding when he died, and paid with his life the price of the magic. Now, this kind of objects is really…_susceptible_. Most likely four years ago some idiot found it without knowing what it was and unintentionally altered the spell, releasing the spirits."

"And it's those two night of the years because one is the day when they have banished the fortune-teller and the other is the one of their deaths?" The girl asked, her eyes lighting up with understanding. "Am I right, Gabriel?"

The creature nodded, smiling. "Yep, smart girl. That's the most logical reason. Ghosts are creatures of habit, they're linked to something specific," he explained, gesturing a bit. "In our case, the date. Surely my friends could give you more explanations, they're the experts. I know only what I saw during the centuries. I've never been really interested in the dead. They are boring, for the most." The children gave him a weird look and he smirked at them, getting up and grabbing the last two cookies. "Sorry, little ones, but now I must go. You gave me exactly what I needed and it's time for me and my buddies to sort this all out." He waved his hands and held out a piece of paper to Margot. "That's the address of the hotel were my boys are staying. If you need something, come to see us, alright?"

They nodded and Tyler got up, offering his hand to him. "Yes. Thank you, Gabriel. Please, kill those things for us," he spoke quietly.

The archangel reached out, ignoring the polite gesture, and ruffled both children's hair. "I will, don't worry. You won't have to fear them ever again," he promised sincerely for once. "And I'll take care also of your other bully problem." He winked at them. "See ya soon, kids. Be good! But not too much!"

One moment later he was back at the hotel. The room was empty, so he guessed that the Winchesters had to be still out, looking for a lead. The idea of going out and looking for them wasn't tempting at all, so he grabbed his phone and dialled Sam's number. When the younger hunter's voice reached his ear he grinned widely. "Heya, Samsquatch. I got something for you and your brother. Pay attention, 'cause I've solved your case. And from now on I dare you two to say that I'm useless…"


End file.
